Deliver Us From Evil
by Kiara-Zzyopen
Summary: BtVSxAngelxHP Where do you put something when you want to keep it really safe? With the most powerful families the magical world has ever seen of course! DawnConnor
1. Prologue

**DISCLAIMER**: Harry Potter stuff, not mine. Buffy stuff, not mine.

**SUMMARY: **HP/BtVS. When you want to keep something really safe, where do you send them? To two of the most powerful families the wizarding worlds has ever seen of course…

**RATING**: PG-13 for language.

**TIMELINE: **After BtVS and season four finale of Angel. Set during book five of HP, but is AU. Everything happened as written in books 1 thru 4, but I am changing book five significantly. Connor and Dawn are in their seventh year (with the Weasley twins).

**Deliver Me From Evil by Kiara**

**PROLOGUE**

L.A.- May

Angel turned to Lilah and lowered his voice to a whisper. "Just one more piece of business. I've got to see him."

"I'm sorry, Angel, but that wasn't part of the deal."

"Value of compromise; remember, Lilah? I need to see him." Angel said; an edge of steel in his voice. He may have given up his son, and he did truly believe that it was for the best, but he needed some reassurance that Wolfram and Hart had not done anything which he hadn't agreed to. Connor deserved a normal life after everything he'd been through. And if Angel had to sacrifice their relationship for his son to be happy, then that was a price he was willing to pay.

"You're the boss." Lilah shrugged and handed the vampire a folder and amulet to be taken to Sunnydale. "But you can't see Connor."

"Why not?" His eyes flashed yellow for a moment; a glimpse at the demon within, a dangerous hint at what he was capable of.

"It's impossible. He belongs to a different world now, Angel. He's happy, healthy and has never tried to off either of his very human parents. If you were to turn up then it would raise all sorts of questions in his mind, the kind that could have him looking for you. Connor's safe, Angel; as per our agreement." Lilah promised, knowing that it would not be enough for the souled vampire. He had been screwed over by Wolfram and Hart one to many times to take her word for it, but she wasn't offended at all. If anyone understood getting screwed over by W&H, it was Lilah. "If you need proof, then it can be arranged."

"Thank you." He said softly, turning to leave. He could understand her point about his presence raising questions, but he still needed to know.

Fred watched Angel leave, the confusion evident on her face mirrored on her colleagues. "Who's Connor?"

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LONDON- August

"Keep up, will you?"

Connor turned to his younger brother who was dragging his heels behind him. As if back-to-school shopping wasn't bad enough, he also had to mind his brother. Not that he really needed minding, he was old enough to look after himself but that kid always seemed to get into some sort of trouble.

"Come on, books next." He gave his brother a gentle push to get him moving, trying to keep the irritation from his voice. Connor did love his brother, honest he did, but, like all siblings, they bickered and fought over the most trivial things- like whether 'midnight black' or 'pure noir' robes were best for school. They'd almost gotten thrown out of Madam Malkins for that one.

Out of the corner of his eye, Connor noticed a photographer across the street. The bulb on the camera flashed, capturing the duo walking up the street with their school bags. When he saw his subject looking, the photographer gave a wave and yelled out "For the Daily Prophet!" before mingling back into the crowd.

It was easy to find the Malfoy family. Lucius Malfoy was one of the London branch's most valuable clients so all the employees were familiar with their faces even if word-of-mouth was not enough to recognise them. The Malfoy's had a reputation, they were powerful, and so was Connor; that was what made it such a good fit (he wasn't called the Destroyer for nothing). He did not seem out of place as a pureblood wizard, plus there was the added bonus that _hopefully _with the memories of Lucius raising him, then Connor wouldn't start killing all their clients like his true father. The Destroyer may even be on their side when it came down to the ultimate battle between good and evil that had long been foretold. Connor would be an asset to whichever side he fought on and Wolfram and Hart would certainly welcome him onto their side. Putting him with the Malfoy's was the best way of ensuring this without breaking their contract with Angel- well, a wizarding life was perfectly normal for a wizard and Connor was as happy and safe as anyone else in this world.

Connor shook his head. It must be a really slow week for news if the Prophet was resorting to taking pictures of people shopping in Diagon Alley.

He didn't know that the photographer was actually working for Wolfram and Hart and had been instructed to take pictures of him and his family so that they could be posted to a worried vampire in L.A. who might then give Lilah some peace.

Maybe.

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CZECH REPUBLIC- October

A television screen flickered in the black, the only modern technology throughout the monastery. On the screen a short blond girl was fighting hoards of demons. She should've been dead in seconds, but she kept ducking and swinging with her sword. The tape's viewers gasped as a younger brunette came into view, also swinging a sword. They fought side-by-side, slowly working their way through the masses that surrounded them. The monks sitting in the dark room flinched as the brunette took what looked like a particularly painful hit, but she got up again.

"_If ya think that's enough to keep me down then, to be honest, I'm offended."_

One of the monks moved forward, a frown deeply etched on his face. "I think we can stop it there. As you can see the slayer is failing to keep the Key safe from harm. I feel that it is time we found a new safe haven for it."

Another monk nodded, his brown robes swaying against the stone floor. "If the key were to be killed the effects would be disastrous."

There were murmurs of agreement around the room of the newly re-created monks of Dagon headquarters. They was no Glorifius to worry about this time, not for another few thousand years, but it was imperative that they have a base where they would watch over the Key and her keepers. It had been decided that it were too dangerous to hold the Key where it could be easily found, namely amongst the Monks of Dragon, so the hunt had began long ago to find a shortlist of appropriate protectors in the event that the slayer stopped doing an adequate job.

The first monk spoke again. "I believe we have found the ideal candidate. He resides in 'the safest place in England' and would be able to offer the key magical protection of the highest level. He falls under the protection of Albus Dumbledore, a name I'm sure you will recognise. We've read all the recent news from Fudge, the Minister for Magic, and the British wizarding world seems to be in peaceful times. The last real threat to them was Voldemort, the dark wizard defeated thirteen years ago and, aside from a few reports following the accidental death of a student this summer which the Ministry found to be absolutely nothing; Hogwarts seems to be a safe place to hide the Key. Are we agreed?"

Everyone in the room nodded. So the preparations for the spell to change the key's form began.

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ROME- October

Buffy got out of bed and stretched gingerly. That was some fight last night. She must have got knocked on the head at some point, everything seemed kind of fuzzy- that feeling you get when you think you've forgotten something but at the same time know that you haven't.

She walked into the kitchen and clicked on her kettle. Coffee was definitely needed before she tried to sort out her thoughts. And toast. She did feel slightly better after having a bit of breakfast and waking up properly. That's all it takes to get her to feel human again after a long night.

But as she looked around her empty apartment, she still felt uneasy. Something wasn't right, something was missing. But for the life of her she couldn't think what it was.

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MALFOY MANOR- October

He went by many names, some feared, some almost forgotten. His followers, the loyal, called him the Dark Lord, a name that commanded the utmost fear in those who heard it. The rest of the world, the weaker ones and the unworthy ones, refused to name him: 'He-who-must-not-be-named', 'you-know-who' or even just '_Him'_- capital 'H', spoken in a whisper. There was no mistake as to who _he_ really was. There were others, the foolish, who didn't realize the power he commanded and they dared to speak the name Lord Voldemort- the name he'd coined himself. Then there was the name forgotten by all but the old: Tom Riddle. He didn't exist anymore. Riddle was weak, and Voldemort was anything but weak. He was magic. He could sense even the slightest change in the magical atmosphere.

Which is why he was sitting on his throne, everyone else barred from the room, while he tried to figure out what was different.

He'd sensed a change in magic. Magic was tainted with good, it was sickening really. It felt clean and untouched, until it was used and twisted into whatever curse the wizard wanted it to be. But the essence of magic, that which flows in the blood of every witch and wizard who wields a wand, was pure. Even if the person wasn't.

Now he could feel a darker touch somewhere out there; mysterious, seducing and tainted. And so much more tangible than the magic that ran through his own veins, he could almost reach out and draw it into him. This was the second time he'd sensed this in the past few months. He'd only felt anything like this once before that and it had been years ago. A squib had tried to protect himself with earth magic. Of course it hadn't worked; no wizard could stop Lord Voldemort, let alone a common squib but the feel of the magic had had the same dark touch.

But this was different. This was more powerful, he'd sensed it without even trying. What spell was powerful enough to leave such magical residue and who had cast it?

More importantly, what did that mean for him?

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HOGWARTS- October

"Draco, do stop whining. It's not particularly becoming." Connor Malfoy, oldest son of Lucius Malfoy and heir to the Malfoy throne, remarked lazily as his younger brother started on yet another tirade against Harry flaming Potter. Sure Connor didn't like the guy either, but there was no need to make an obsession out of it.

Draco growled, pacing up and down the rug that ran down the centre of the room. He held a tight grip on his wand and Connor was mildly worried that he might cause something to explode is his sibling didn't calm down- that was always a danger when a wizard lost control of their emotions. Particularly Draco; he had such a fiery temper… literally.

"You'll never guess what he's bloody gone and done now!"

"Well it must be something truly pivotal for you to burst into a prefect's dorm without knocking, brother or no." Connor said disinterested, inspecting the invisible dirt under his fingernails so that Draco could be sure of just how unimpressed he was.

"Do you want to know or not?" Draco was getting frustrated. What were brothers for if not to vent out ones irritations? He listened to Connor's…well, no, he didn't. Connor just didn't get wound up the way Draco did.

Connor sighed. He could tell Draco was really on the edge of a proper hissy fit this time; he better listen before something caught on fire. He put on a false air of interest (very '_Malfoy'_) and rolled his eyes. "Tell me brother dear, how is Potter?"

"Well I saw him in the Hog's Head, but that's not all." Draco added hurriedly before Connor lost interest. "There were a bunch of people with him."

"And?" Ooh, people in a pub, a dodgy pub, but even so it was hardly ground breaking.

"They were up to something, something illegal." Draco lowered his voice for effect, despite the fact that they were alone in a room protected by numerous anti-eavesdropping charms.

Connor looked up at his brother. That was actually mildly interesting. "Really? You heard them?"

"Well no, but why else would he go into the Hog's Head? The Three Broomsticks is much more his scene." Draco even snarled a little. Perfect little Potter really irked him.

Connor snorted. "Draco, why were you in the Hog's Head? Because they'll serve anyone alcohol no matter their age, right? Well maybe Potter's engaging in a little teenage rebellion."

"With that mudblood Granger right there?"

"So she would approve if illegal meetings but not underage drinking? As if Saint Potter, king of the underdog, would ever dream of breaking the law. It won't be anything interesting." Connor said impatiently. "It'll keep him in the limelight with his merry band for another couple of weeks though."

"Fan-fucking-tastic." Draco muttered.

"Tut tut, little brother; if father heard you using that kind of language he'd wash your mouth out with soap." Connor said as he turned back to his homework, satisfied that Draco's mood was dealt with.

Draco flopped down in one of the chairs in the room. That meant he wasn't leaving then, but Connor didn't really mind. The Malfoy brothers always presented a united front to the world, if you take on one, prepare to take on both. Of course that didn't extend to Draco's petty rows with Potter, but if it were to ever become more than trivial arguments Connor would step in straight away.

That extended to their home life. Draco had lost count of the times the more level headed Connor had placed a calming hand on his shoulder when he was on the verge of snapping at their father or when Connor had interrupted him to prevent him saying something stupid; he had two more years experience at 'playing the game' and currently did it much better than Draco.

"I received an owl from Father today." Draco said after a long silence.

Connor finished writing the final inch of his essay and started rolling it up. He was not particularly in a hurry- Draco would wait. "Did he have anything interesting to say?"

"Not really; the usual stuff. Keep our grades up, practice more in quidditch." Draco looked up to make sure he could see his brother's reaction, a gleam in his eye that Connor didn't quite understand. "Oh, and Snape's daughter is coming to Hogwarts."

Connor looked up quickly. "Dawn's coming here?"

Draco smirked, expecting that sort of reaction. "We remember her then."

He glared. "Don't be smart Draco, it doesn't suit you. Of course I remember her. I saw her every time Father brought us to Hogwarts on his governing business and Snape must have brought her to our house at least fifty times before he shipped her off to America."

"Father said to remind you that the Snape name is well respected within certain circles." Draco said with a casual air of smugness that made people want to hit him.

Connor scowled. "I've only just turned eighteen and he's already trying to marry me off."

"Are you interested?"

"Draco, I believe I already mentioned the still-only-eighteen argument. Besides, I haven't seen her for what, five, six years?"

"Something like that." Draco agreed.

"She may have changed completely."

"She might have gotten ugly." Draco added, earning him a look from his brother.

"Honestly Drake, is that all you can think about… But you have a point." Connor conceded with a nod.

"It's kind of romantic." Draco said with a sneer. He obviously didn't think so. "Childhood sweethearts, rekindled love, pure blooded family."

"We were never childhood sweethearts." Connor muttered. "There is no love to be rekindled and she's half-blood."

Draco waved off his comments. "Only on Snape's side, it could be a lot worse. At least he's not trying to set you up with Parkinson."

Connor laughed. "Pug-face Parkinson? He must hate you."

Draco's glare intensified until it was at the level usually reserved for Potter. "She's richer than Snape."

"You'll just have to keep telling yourself that when you're making all the baby Malfoy's that mother is so desperate to spoil." Connor said with a laugh. His little brother could have the pick of many of the girls at Hogwarts, well, if it wasn't for his personality. For his father to be suggesting Pansy Parkinson as a match would not be well accepted by the youngest in the family.

With one final glare, Draco swept out of the room leaving Connor alone with his thoughts. He and Dawn had been close once, before she'd started school in America and they'd just lost touch. Severus and Lucius, or more accurately Narcissa, had been friends when they were students at Hogwarts and that friendship had continued into their adult lives. This had lead too many 'play dates' between the Malfoy and Snape children, particularly when Dawn's mother was out of the picture, and over the years a close friendship had blossomed. Until she'd left.

But now Dawn Snape was coming to Hogwarts. That would make things interesting. Very interesting indeed.

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A short chapter to begin with, the next will be almost double this- look for it in a few days, it's almost ready. Please leave a review and let me know what you think so far.


	2. Follow The Night

**DISCLAIMER**: Harry Potter stuff, not mine. Buffy stuff, not mine.

**SUMMARY: **HP/BtVS. When you want to keep something really safe, where do you send them? To two of the most powerful families the wizarding worlds has ever seen of course…

**TIMELINE:** After BtVS and season four finale of Angel. Set during book five of HP, but is AU. Everything happened as written in books 1 thru 4, but I am changing book five significantly. Connor and Dawn are in their seventh year (with the Weasley twins).

**A/N:** Thanks to everyone who reviewed the prologue. This chapter is longer as promised. Also it introduces a certain Golden Trio into the mix, but they won't be featuring heavily in this story so if you like them then you may be disappointed.

**Deliver Me From Evil by Kiara**

**PART TWO- FOLLOW THE NIGHT**

HOGWARTS- November 

"Mr. Malfoy!"

Connor stopped, rolled his eyes, took a deep breath and schooled his features into their usual unreadable look before turning to face Snape who had called him, more out of habit than anything else. "Yes sir?"

"Come with me to my office please." He was telling not asking and got straight to the point as usual. They walked to his office in silence, Snape was not a chatty man and that suited Connor just fine. He liked the potions master; he did not find the silence uncomfortable.

Snape pushed his door open and sighed, not surprised at what he saw. "I told you not to touch anything." He growled at whoever was in the room.

Connor peered around the potions master's frame to see a tall girl, slightly younger than him, with long brown hair holding a book and looking up disinterested at the people in the doorway.

"Sorry." She didn't sound the least bit sorry as she placed the book back on its shelf. She knew he didn't really mind… that much.

He clenched his jaw together visibly. "I trust you remember my daughter, Mr Malfoy." He ground out, looking pained but Connor wasn't fooled. Snape hadn't been this animated in years and there was a glint in his eye that would confuse many students. He was please that his daughter was back… even if she did irk him at times.

"Of course. Hello Dawn."

Dawn smiled at her childhood friend. "Hey Connor, how've you been?"

Snape interrupted with a scowl, though anyone who knew the potions master could see the smirk lying underneath the surface. "Yes well, I trust you will be able to take it from here."

"Excuse me?"

"Dawn will need a guide." Snape said, quite slowly as if speaking to a small smile. Surely that much was obvious?

"Of course. It would be my pleasure." Connor agreed immediately.

"You don't have to do this." Dawn said the moment they were outside Snape's office (much to his relief- his daughter was notoriously clumsy at times and he had many expensive potion vials sitting on his shelves). "I grew up here, I know my way around."

"Not as a student."

She thought for a moment and nodded with a grin- if nothing else it would be a chance to get reacquainted with her old friend. "True. Thanks, Connor."

As a child, Dawn had spent her time living with her father at Hogwarts, and though she was tutored in the suite of rooms Dumbledore provided most of the time she had still managed to find her way around the corridors and passageways. It had seemed like a big adventure, living in a castle for much of the year, what little girl wouldn't love that and explore at every opportunity? She'd definitely missed the castle that had been her home and playground for many terms.

Her father had tried to keep her away from the other students, he knew that he was not the most popular teacher on the staff and didn't want to take any chances with his only family being hurt or upset so for a lot of the time it had just been the two of them. They'd been fairly close, though by trying to protect his daughter from the past, more specifically his past, he had created a bit of friction. Dawn wanted to understand, though she was not entirely sure what it was that she wanted to know about, but he wouldn't share it with her. Then she'd been accepted into a school in America and had only returned during the summer, with that wedge getting a little thicker the longer she was away.

Connor gave her a rare smile. "So how was America?"

"Warmer than Scotland for one thing." She grumbled, pulling her cloak tighter around her body. "I've got four layers on and I'm still cold."

"Well get used to it, it's only going to get colder. That's the downside to living in dungeons." A thought suddenly occurred to him. "You were sorted into Slytherin, right?"

"Of course." Dawn returned with a smirk. Where else would she be sorted? "The sorting hat gave me the wiggins though, it was saying this stuff about how it had to put me where I would be best protected. How weird is that?"

"It told me that my destiny was pre-determined or some such rubbish." Connor revealed. "It's odd to think that the rest of your live is decided by an old hat."

"Yeah. I think my Dad was secretly hoping that it would put me in Ravenclaw. Sure he made all the appropriate noises to Dumbledore when I got sorted into _his_ house, but I don't think he's looking forward to me being around so much."

Connor looked at her. One of the reasons he and Dawn had always got on so well (other than the way their parents pushed them together) was that they had a lot in common, including the way they sometimes felt about their families. The difference was that Dawn did know that her father cared about her, but Conner genuinely doubted that. "He loves you Dawn; why else would he have brought you back from America?"

"Honestly? I have no idea where that came from. Right in the middle of a term and everything. I don't know what he's thinking."

Connor couldn't argue with that logic. Dawn had been packed off to study in America a few weeks after her eleventh birthday and had only come home for the summer holidays when Snape would be far away from Hogwarts. They'd gone from seeing each other several times a month when they were young children to maybe once or twice a year and already those childhood memories were starting to fade.

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"Did you hear the news?" Hermione Granger said as she sat down at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall.

"What news?" Ron asked, his mouth full of food. It was a testament to their friendship that Hermione understood what he had said. But by now she'd had lots of practice.

"Well, Snape has a daughter for one thing."

Harry choked on his pumpkin juice. "Snape? You must be kidding."

"That's what I thought." Hermione said. "That was until I overheard Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick talking about it in the corridor."

"They must have been talking about something else." Harry said. There was no way Snape could be a father, he didn't have a loving, caring bone in his body.

"S' true." Ron injected, taking another bite of his lunch. Harry and Hermione turned towards him disbelievingly and he was mildly offended. "What? I do know things occasionally."

"Of course you do." Hermione said dismissively, eager to get back to the topic at hand. "So Snape actually has a daughter?"

"Yeah. She's the same age as Fred and George I think. Bill and Charlie said they saw her around Hogwarts a few times when she used to come to work with Snape. She's been going to school in America or something."

"And you never told us?"

He shrugged. "To be honest I'd forgotten about it until you mentioned it. It's not like I never needed to think about it. What's the big deal?"

Harry ignored him. "I can't believe Snape has a daughter, after the way he treated me for the last four years."

"Can you imagine what a kid raised by Snape would be like?" Ron said with a shudder. "I hope for her sake that she took after her mother in the looks department."

"Ron!" Hermione scolded half-heartedly. Truth be told, she agreed with him. Severus Snape was hardly the perfect role model. "Anyway, she's meant to be starting at Hogwarts this week."

"Great." Harry muttered looking towards the staff table where he now had two sets of eyes, Snape's and Umbridge's, glaring at him. "'Cause I don't have enough people out for my blood this year."

"She might be different." Hermione said. Ron looked at her and raised his eyebrow disbelievingly. Hermione shrugged. "It's a possibility."

"Yeah, but it's about as likely as Malfoy catching the snitch." Harry snorted. "So there's another Snape to deal with. Hogwarts is continuing in its quest to send me to an early grave."

Before Ron or Hermione could say anything, a new, slightly accented voice came from behind them.

"Gee, morbid much? You're a whiner, aren't you? I should have guessed." Came the mocking voice.

Harry, Ron and Hermione looked over to the girl that had stopped next to them. She wasn't pretty in a conventional way, her features seemed to be too big for her face, but she was striking make no mistake. The three Gryffindors stared at the new face; surely this couldn't be Snape's daughter? Was there another new student starting mid-tern?

Her eyes flickered to Harry's forehead to be sure he was who she thought he was. It was the standard move when meeting Harry so he was well used to it by now. "Harry Potter I presume?" She said coolly. "Dawn Snape."

Harry nodded. "So you're Snape's daughter."

"I am. But I'd ask you to remember that I am not my father." She smirked smugly then, flicking her brown locks over her shoulder, she allowed herself to glance over to where her father was glowering from the other side of the room. She did so love riling him, even though she knew she ought not to. She didn't particularly want to talk to any of the Gryffs, but the opportunity was too good to miss. "For one thing, I take my hair care far more seriously."

Connor smirked from where he was watching. Dawn certainly had fire. He been escorting her to the Slytherin table for dinner when he realised she was no longer walking next to him. When he'd turned around he'd seen her talking to Potter and his merry band, seemingly unaware, or uncaring, of the death glare her father was shooting the pair of them.

Snape's dislike of the 'Potter boy' was legendary over the school, causing many a Slytherin amusement as the Gryffindor house points dipped every time there was a fifth year potions class, and there was no chance that Dawn wasn't aware of it- she probably even shared his dislike for the golden child of the wizarding world as all Slytherins inheritably did. She was doing this on purpose to get a reaction from him. And it was working.

Snape looked over to Connor, still glaring, prompting him to walk the few steps over to Dawn. "Dawn, dinner's about to start."

"Right." She looked at the four identical tables, many of the students were staring at the two Slytherins standing next to Harry Potter but Dawn forced herself not to notice. "Which one's ours again?"

Connor pointed to the Slytherin table. He took his seat at the top and gestured to Dawn to sit next to him. That got a few raised eyebrows amongst the other Slytherins. Their house involved a strict game of politics, the results of which were displayed for all to see in the Great Hall every meal time though the other houses didn't know it; you worked your way up the table which is why people were surprised when Connor sat the newest Slytherin next to him, between the seventh and sixth year prefects and just a few places up from his brother. None of them would call him up on it though; Connor Malfoy was undoubtedly the prince of Slytherin.

Draco leaned over to Dawn. He'd been included in some of the antics of his older brother and his friend when they were young, but being two years their junior sometimes meant that he was left out. That said, he did still like the older girl; she'd often paid him some attention when his brother couldn't be bothered. "Your father finally let you back in the country then, Snape?"

Dawn didn't look up. "The name's Dawn and you know it, Drake."

"Fine. Your father finally let you back into the country then, Dawn?" Draco smirked.

Dawn couldn't help but smile. She'd missed Draco's bluntness… not to mention Connor's glaring over it. She'd always found it funny the way the two brothers, so alike in some ways, often rubbed each other up the wrong way. "Looks that way."

"I think he missed you. Your father, I mean." Connor revealed, quietly entering the conversation. "He seemed bitter while you were gone."

Draco and Dawn both gave him looks. "He's always been bitter."

"When you're here he's more irritated than bitter. Trust me; he's worse when you're not around."

Dawn considered what Connor had said. She'd always known that her father loved her… in his own cranky way, but she'd never thought he could have missed her whilst she was in America. They sent a few owls, but even then they weren't personal- she just relayed her grades, told him quidditch results and such. But if it was true, if he actually missed her when she was away, then maybe there was hope for them yet.

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Connor climbed the stairs to his room slowly. He'd spent the whole day with Dawn; he never spent the whole day with one person without getting bored of their company. And, oddly enough, he was looking forward to seeing her again tomorrow. Was it possible that he had found his first real friend after nearly seven years at Hogwarts?

Oh sure, he was popular enough with the students (especially the girls), partly down to his Malfoy blood, partly because people genuinely liked him; but none of them were what he'd call close friends. He'd probably talked more today than he had during all his time at Hogwarts.

He went into his room and flicked on the light switch. Connor went into the room; he jumped hearing someone's voice coming from the chair behind him.

"So this is how I figure it."

"Bloody hell Draco!" Connor gasped as he recognised his brother's unmistakable blond head. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Lurking." Draco replied matter-of-factly. "Anyway, I was talking. So this is how I see it; you like Snape's daughter."

He shrugged his arms out of his robe violently. "She's a friend, Draco. What are you doing in my room?"

"Can't a guy want to see his brother anymore?" Draco answered smugly.

"In the dark?"

"I like the dark."

"The boy who slept with a night light until he was twelve suddenly likes the dark?"

Draco glared at his brother. "You're exaggerating. And trying to change the subject."

"What subject?" Connor muttered as he yanked his green and grey tie from around his neck. He sat down at his desk and flipped open a book.

"You like Dawn Snape. It's so obvious. Any idiot can see it."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. You're actually talking for one thing."

"I talk." Connor said simply as he turned pages.

"Not voluntarily you don't. At dinner you were joining in conversations; hell, you were actually starting conversations. It's a long way from the stoic Malfoy heir everyone's used to."

"Could it not be just that I happen to have met someone who doesn't irritate the hell out of me whenever they open their mouth?" He briefly looked up from his book to sneer at his brother. "That was a reference to you by the way."

Draco shrugged. He knew Connor didn't mean it…that much. "And now you think that by insulting me you can get me to stop. You should know that that doesn't work by now."

"I'm studying."

"Fine, I'll go." Draco paused just before he left the room. "But I know I'm right."

He left quickly, before Connor turned around even. Draco wasn't stupid; he knew that if you goaded his brother for long enough you were likely to get hexed.

Connor watched the door close behind his brother and smirked. Despite all the bravado in front of the rest of the students, Draco didn't hesitate to run away when his older brother was likely to curse him. As long as he was still able to scare the youngest of the Malfoy clan, he need not worry about his reputation at Hogwarts. Despite his changes in attitude.

As his final exams at Hogwarts drew ever closer, so did the time when he was expected to take the dark mark and stand beside his father in the ranks of Voldemort's death eaters. The only problem was that he wasn't sure that that was what he wanted. He may have been groomed to take over from his father as Voldemort's right hand man since he was born, but did he really want a life filled with death and violence? Answering to old snake-head until he gets bored and decides to kill you? Was that what he wanted?

Most definitely not. The only problem would be breaking the news to his father without ending up in an early grave.

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"I don't want Dawn to join the Dark Lord."

Dumbledore regarded his potions master sympathetically. "If Dawn wishes to become a death eater, then there is nothing we can do but make sure her decision is well informed."

"She knows the dangers." Snape muttered, trying to reign in the urge to throttle Dumbledore and then lock his daughter up until Voldemort was well and truly defeated. To hell with his own safety, there were some things more important.

"Then we can only hope that she makes the right decision."

Snape stood up from the chair he'd been sitting in and paced the length of the headmaster's office. "Even if she does, then he might still want her. She was safer in America."

"If Voldemort really wanted to get to Dawn, then America is not safe. Refusing to bring her back to England when Voldemort told you to do so would only endanger the both of you." Dumbledore said trying to comfort his colleague and friend.

When a panicked Snape had burst into his office two weeks previously and told him that Voldemort had expressed his interest in Dawn taking the dark mark as soon as she finished her education, he had been surprised. It was easy to forget Severus had a daughter, she spent so much time abroad and Snape was hardly forthcoming with information. Voldemort had apparently not been so forgetful when thinking about his newest recruits.

Now Severus Snape found himself in an impossible position. He could either deliver his daughter to Voldemort, there by signing her death warrant, or defy the dark wizard, thus blowing his cover and signing both of their death warrants. The only other option was for Dawn to take it upon herself to take the dark mark which would mean that his own daughter would stand for what he was fighting against, but could mean her survival. Possibly.

"Severus?" The headmaster's voice brought him out of his reverie. "Has Voldemort mentioned any other students particularly?"

Snape thought back to his recent meeting with the Dark Lord. He'd been so preoccupied with the thoughts of his daughter that he had almost forgotten the other students in danger. "Some of the Slytherin seventh years. He is most interested in Connor Malfoy and Dawn. They are the most powerful."

Dumbledore sighed. So Voldemort had picked up on that as well? There was most definitely something intriguing about the auras surrounding that pair, something disjointed. Plus there was undoubtedly an air of darkness around the two. The headmaster had seen it before, a result of students 'tripping' on earth magix. He hoped that it wasn't the case, they did not exhibit the usual signs of magical drug abuse, but for such an amount of black magix residue to linger around them…well, it wasn't good.

"What is your opinion of Mr. Malfoy? Do you feel that he will join Voldemort?"

"It's what he was born to do. He has a violent temper and will not hesitate to curse any of the students regardless of age or house if they irritate him. He is quiet and does not trust any of his housemates with the exception of his brother. He's talented, self-sufficient and ruthless, qualities that would make a good death eater." Snape stated bluntly. "Having said that, I can't be sure of what he truly wants. He is a good student and prefect, hasn't been seen to be tormenting the muggle borns and is often rather righteous, especially when it comes to the younger Mr. Malfoy. I cannot predict what he shall choose."

"Then we shall wait. Voldemort would not ask students to become active death eaters whilst they are still enrolled at Hogwarts, not at this point, there is too much risk. We still have seven months until the seventh years take their N.E.W.T's. That's plenty of time to find out what Voldemort is planning."

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"Why thank you, kind sir!" Dawn said with a giggle as Connor held open the portrait for her. It had been a good day, she'd had fun getting to know her friend again.

He returned the smile. "Anytime, fair lady."

Dawn hooked her arm through his as they walked down the corridor. Connor looked down at his companion. She was far from the little girl he had grown up with. Her time in America had taken her from a somewhat spoiled, bratty kid into a confident young woman who was nowhere near as helpless as she used to be. He'd even go as far to say that she could take care of herself. She'd seemed to do pretty well the previous night when some of the student body were making comments about her parentage.

"What are you smiling at?" Dawn asked suddenly, snapping him out of this thoughts.

"Just thinking about how things have changed. There was a time when you would run to daddy whenever things got tough, but last night you were putting people down like a pro."

She laughed. "I was the pale faced bratty kid from England in a country all on my own. Somewhere along the line I stopped with the damseling and started sticking up for myself. Now I come back here and suddenly I'm the 'yank' daughter of the potions master and the circle starts anew."

They continued to talk about the past and how things had changed as Connor led them to the great hall for breakfast. As they left the dungeons behind them and entered the main part of the school, shouting was coming from down the hallway.

"What's going on down there?" Dawn asked peering down the corridor where they could hear the voices escalating.

As they rounded the corner, they were confronted with a sight that made Connor groan. Things always got heated before the Slytherin/ Gryffindor quidditch match, but why did some people always have to take it one step too far? Namely his brother.

"For Christ's sake, Draco!"

His brother's shout did nothing to deter Draco who was rolling around on the floor with Harry Potter, each trying to land a punch on the other. As neither of them had really had any experience in muggle fights it really looked quite comical- both of them scrabbling about on the floor like two toddlers trying to learn how to walk while Weasley looked on, not sure how to deal with the situation.

Connor sighed and turned to Dawn who was watching amused. "Excuse me a moment. Stay here."

He approached the two boys just as a Hermione Granger appeared into sight at the end of the corridor.

Connor grabbed the back of the boys' robes and pulled them up, but not before Harry managed to land a punch right on Draco's nose.

"Harry!" Hermione started running forward as Connor held the two boys apart, wincing when Draco missed his target and punched him on the chest, but it hadn't hurt as much as he'd expected it too. Hadn't hurt at all really; he needed to teach Draco how to throw a decent punch.

"I wouldn't worry; he did more damage to Drake than the other way around." Dawn said, offering Draco a hanky for his bleeding nose, and scowling at Harry for good measure. Evil Gryff.

Draco jumped. He hadn't heard Dawn approach. He glared at her, and then glared harder when she laughed at him. The Gryffindors just stared at them.

Connor glared at Ron who was still standing and watching as he held back the scrabbling enemies by their robes. "Don't worry Weasley, I've got it. How long were you going to stand there like a prat watching them anyway? Are you a bloody prefect or not?"

"Honestly Ron!"

Ron just gaped. Not only was he getting told off by a Slytherin for _not_ breaking up a fight, but Hermione was siding against him with Malfoy of all people. "What do you expect me to bloody do? I wasn't getting in the middle of that!"

"Malfoy managed. And are you a wizard or not?" Hermione started, hands on hips in her well practiced pose used when telling off Ron or Harry.

"As much as I hate to get in the middle of a perfectly good argument," Connor started with the smirk every Malfoy had perfected; "there is still the matter of these two." He gave them both a shake. "Now I trust you can deal with him, Granger." Harry got another shake.

Ron gave them a suspicious glare. "What are you up to Malfoy?"

Surprise flickered onto his face for a brief moment. "Nothing."

"It was all Potter's fault anyway." Draco muttered with as much dignity as he could muster when his brother was holding him up by his robe and there were his three most hated people in the entire world were watching on. But there was nothing he could do to get free. Connor was freakishly strong considering he didn't really exercise. Oh well, at least the blood flow from his nose was slowing.

"Will you shut up!" Connor hissed as the golden trio exchanged confused glances. Malfoy was almost acting fairly. Almost.

"Why shouldn't we report it?" Ron said, finally finding his voice. "Ferret's a prefect; he's in deeper than Harry."

Surprisingly it was Dawn that answered him with a laugh. "Yeah, because Drake's head of house will be so disappointed when he hears that his least favorite and most favorite students got into a fight. Hmm, I wonder whose side he would take… Not to mention the new High Inquisitor. Besides, Draco didn't even manage to land a punch on Potter."

"I did so!"

"Quiet." Connor hissed again. Why was he cursed with such an idiot for a brother? He let go of the smirking Harry, giving him a shove into Ron.

"Hey!"

"I suppose that as senior prefect you could deal with the ferret." Ron said, realizing that Dawn was right and that Harry could easily look like the bad guy in the situation.

"That I can." Connor said grimly and he started dragging Draco off by the back of his robes, angrily muttering about acting like drunken muggles in a bar and such.

Dawn watched Connor haul his brother off and winced. "I would not want to be Drake tonight. Connor's gonna rip him a new one." She said more to herself than anything. The three Gryffindors were staring at her. Six years in America made all the difference it seemed. Dawn shrugged; people often had a hard time when they found out she was nothing like her father. People around Hogwarts didn't like to be surprised, that's what made the game all the more fun. "Best be off. Nice punch Potter."

Harry gaped a few times. "Thanks?"

She shrugged again and practically skipped after the Malfoy brothers, the earlier thoughts of breakfast vanishing from her mind. She grinned as she thought of Potter's surprised face- oh it was almost to easy, he was already confused about her motives. This could be fun.

Harry, Ron and Hermione stared after her. Maybe she didn't know how things worked around here yet.

"Did that really just happen?" Ron said. He got no answer. "Seriously, did _Malfoy_ just let Harry off the hook for fighting in the corridor and then give his brother a lecture about it? Not to mention _Snape's daughter_ more-or-less giving Harry a pat on the back for managing to deck a Slytherin?"

Harry just kept staring at the now empty corridor. Hermione nodded dumbly. "I think so, Ron."

"What's going on in this place?!" Ron almost yelled. It was like his entire world had gone topsy turvey, which in a way it had.

"Not a clue." Harry murmured, finally dragging his eyes away from where the three Slytherins had vanished. "But I think it's going to be one weird year."

And how right he was.

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Please review!!!!


	3. Can't Stand The Light

**DISCLAIMER**: Harry Potter stuff, not mine. Buffy stuff, not mine.

**SUMMARY: **HP/BtVS. When you want to keep something really safe, where do you send them? To two of the most powerful families the wizarding worlds has ever seen of course…

**RATING**: PG-13 for language.

**TIMELINE: **After BtVS and season four finale of Angel. Set during book five of HP, but is AU. Everything happened as written in books 1 thru 4, but I am changing book five significantly. Connor and Dawn are in their seventh year (with the Weasley twins).

**A/N:** This picks up right where chapter 2 ends.

**Deliver Me From Evil by Kiara**

**PART THREE- CAN'T STAND THE LIGHT**

Connor dragged his brother all the way back to the Slytherin tower, ignoring all the other students that they passed. Draco had long ago given up shouting and struggling, Connor was much stronger than him, some might say unnaturally so, so he only succeeded in drawing attention to himself.

To say that Connor was angry would be an understatement. Draco had not only embarrassed himself, he had embarrassed his brother as well. It was not only the fact that Draco had been badly loosing the fight; it was that it had happened in the first place. They were Malfoy's. They did not make public spectacles of themselves in muggle brawls. They were better than that. Supposedly.

Draco had to suffer the humiliation of being dragged through the busy Slytherin common room by his glowering brother, past his smirking classmates (who didn't dare approach when Connor was in _that_ mood), and up the stairs until Connor finally let him go.

"What the hell was that?"

Draco rolled his shoulder and glared the older boy. "Did you have to drag me all the way up here? My shoulder canes."

"You know if it had been anyone else you would be in detention and you can bet Snape would tell father. What do you think he'd do if he found out you've been brawling with Potter…again?!"

"What do you want, a thank you?" Draco sneered, every inch the spoilt brat he was brought up as.

Connor glared at his brother incredulously. He was giving attitude now? At the back of his mind, Connor dimly remembered going through a 'difficult phase' as his mother had called it when he was around Draco's age. Though he'd been sullen and quiet, he hadn't talked back as Draco did. However right now, Connor was too irritated with his brother to dwell on his own shortcomings. "I want for you to think for one damned minute before you act. I won't be here next year to keep an eye on you; I can't keep bailing you out of trouble."

"Did I ever ask you to?"

"I'm your older brother, you don't get that prerogative."

"Well maybe I should. Maybe I'm tired of you constantly interfering in my life. I just want you to leave me alone!" Draco's voice rose to a shriek as he worked himself up the way only the 'baby' of the family can.

"Okay," Connor replied, his coolness a stark contrast to his brother's temper tantrum. He looked down at the younger boy, not at all impressed by the tantrum. Lucius Malfoy may have coined that look, but it still made the youngest member of the family shrink when Connor used it. "From now on, you're on your own. I won't step in and dig you out of whatever hole you've got yourself into. Not anymore."

"Fine!" Draco stormed out of the room, making sure he slammed the door behind him. Connor hated it when he did that.

Dawn walked in a minute later from where she'd been quietly listening to the argument. She hadn't meant to eavesdrop, not at first anyway, but there was no way she wanted to get in the middle of a row between brothers.

"So how much did you hear?" Connor asked with a grin. He might fight with Draco, but now the tension had literally left the room and slammed the door behind him, he felt much calmer.

Dawn smiled sheepishly. "Most of it. Are you okay?"

He nodded. "Maybe this is what he needs to finally start growing up."

"Don't be too hard on him. He's always been the little kid of the family and yours is a pretty hard shadow to get out of."

"But he's not a kid." Connor muttered, forcefully throwing some books in his bag. His brother always seemed to rub him up the wrong way. Sure it had always been that way, Draco was the youngest- he was expected to screw up just as Connor was expected to clean up after him, but lately it had been getting on his nerves more than ever.

"Do you really think you're going to be able to stop stepping in for him?"

Connor lifted the bag onto his shoulder and pointedly ignored the question. He'd heard it well enough, but he didn't want to answer. He wasn't sure he could stop stepping in for Draco- they were brothers, it was how it was meant to be. But he didn't want to back down either. "Well we've missed breakfast, but I don't think we should miss your first class as well."

Dawn frowned slightly thinking of her first lessons in Hogwarts. "Especially as it's with-"

"Your father. I know."

"He's already gone out of his way to say that he won't be showing any preferential treatment to me _just_ because I'm his daughter. I've promised to go by the same principle."

As they walked down to the potions lab, Dawn couldn't help but feel nervous. She was starting at a new school which was entirely different to her last, what if she couldn't cut it? The work in California may have been easier than that which she would have had to do at Hogwarts or the two schools could have totally different syllabus' leaving her unprepared and struggling. Whilst Dawn had excelled at potions in America, she may not do so well here. She might fail.

"You'll be fine, Dawn." Connor said quietly as if he were reading her mind.

"What do you-"

He cut her off with a smile. "You're not going to disappoint Snape. You'll do great."

"I wasn't thinking about that." Dawn lied unconvincingly.

Connor just shot her a knowing smile as he held the door open for her and they took their seats.

A moment later Professor Snape swept in, giving his daughter a quick glance, and he took his place at the front of the classroom. A series of instructions appeared on the board as he waved his wand and he turned to face the class with his best glower in place. "You have fifty minute to complete the potion on the board. At the end of that time I shall assess your work. Points will be deducted if the consistency, colour or odour is incorrect. You may begin."

There was immediately a rush to the potions store as the students hurried to get the freshest roots and the largest bezoars stones. Dawn smiled to herself. There was little point to the potion, it was just a series of reactions really, but each stage needed to be precise or you would end up with a thick brown paste that smelt like rotten eggs. He was testing her. He wanted to know what she was capable of.

'Bring it on.' Dawn thought to herself as she opened the state-of-the-art potions kit her father had insisted she own. A good number of the ingredients were already stocked in there so she was able to get to work quickly.

At the end of the fifty minutes, Snape started his slow walk around the classroom. He criticised all of the Gryffindors he saw and a fair few of the Slytherins, although those insults were noticeably less scathing than to the rival house. He stopped by the Weasley twins work, wrinkling his nose at the smell coming from the brown sludge in their caldrons.

Connor too was having trouble blocking out the overwhelming scent. He was sure the twins had purposely sabotaged their potions; it wouldn't surprise him if they had had a bet going on who could make theirs smell worse for one of their pranks. Well, he had heard the phrase 'stink bombs' muttered more than once…

"Another abysmal attempt at potions making, Weasleys." Snape said, not bothering to hide his contempt for the identical redheads in front of him.

They didn't seem to mind. "At least we're consistent."

Snape merely glared at them and moved onto the next table, giving Dawn time to stifle her laughter before he inspected her work. She looked down at her near perfect potion satisfied. It was starting to go a little brown around the edges, but Dawn suspected that that was because it had been standing there for over ten minutes now.

She offered a small smile when Snape got around to her potion, but he didn't return it. Not that she expected him to, he rarely smiled about anything. He peered into his daughter's cauldron and sniffed. He looked up at her. "At what time did you finish brewing the potion, Miss Snape?"

"Nearly fifteen minutes ago."

His only response was to nod and move on; although Dawn was sure she saw a hint of what may have been pride in his eyes before he moved on.

"Well done." Connor breathed.

She smiled at him in return and silently congratulated herself on the small victory. Now there was only the rest of the day to get through and she was set.

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Connor sat in defence against the dark arts bored out of his mind. Umbridge was probably the worst defence teacher he'd had; worse than the various death eaters and even worse than Lockheart who at least was amusing in an I'm-so-vain-I-kiss-my-reflection-every-morning kinda way. Today's lecture was on 'dangerous beasts'. Not that they would practice any of the charms needed, they would just be told about them in a completely useless way deemed 'appropriate and risk-free' by the Ministry.

"Mister Malfoy! I'm asking you a question!"

He jumped in his seat. "Pardon?"

Her eyes narrowed a slot more as she repeated herself. "Name another was to defeat a vampire other than a fire charm."

"Force a wooden stake through its heart." He murmured absent mindedly.

Umbridge gave him an odd look. "Hem-hem. Well, if you could get close enough to touch the vampire and stake it before it killed you, then yes, that would work. Albeit rather crudely. Any other suggestions a little less death-wish and a little more magical?"

A few of the class tittered at Connor Malfoy being put down by a teacher, but he seemed not to notice. If he did then he didn't care. He was confused about where that suggestion had come from. Where did he get the idea or staking a vampire the muggle way from? All the books coupled it with a levitation charm or a freeze charm. What was going on in his mind?

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Snape looked up in surprise as he heard a knock on his classroom door. Surely the Weasley twins couldn't be early for their detention? "Come in."

Dawn poked her head around the door. "Do you have a minute?"

"Is everything okay?" He asked worried. He had little experience talking with his daughter unless something had gone wrong.

"Everything's fine, I just wanted to ask you something."

Snape was on the verge of asking her to come back later and go back to his marking but he stopped himself. He'd promised himself that he would make an effort to get to know his daughter even if it killed him. "What was it you wanted?"

She smiled, far too brightly for anyone of Snape descendent in his opinion, and bounded into the room. "I just wanted to know how you thought I did today."

"I spoke with Professor McGonagall at dinner this evening. She said you performed well in transfiguration, you were well up to standards with the rest of the class."

Dawn smirked, much more 'Snape' than the smile she'd worn previously. "That's great and all, but I asked what _you_ thought."

"You brewed the potion I set very well."

"But what did _you think_?"

He almost glared at her, but that would only show that she'd gotten to him and he wouldn't do that. Not yet at least. "I think you are incredibly talented in the art of potions making, you are most definitely my daughter in that respects."

"Thank you." She smiled genuinely. His surliness made the few nice comments he made even more sincere. The smile soon turned into a smug grin (much more appropriate for a Snape). "Was that so hard?"

His response was to roll his eyes, but then something caught his attention. "Dawn, must you insist on wearing those infernal muggle garments?"

"They're called jeans, Dad. And ninety-nine percent of the others wear them. Besides, they make me look hot!"

He wisely decided to ignore her last comment and once again wondered what they'd been teaching his only child over the Atlantic. "Ninety-nine percent of the 'others' are not my daughter."

Dawn rolled her eyes and got up from her seat to peruse the items on his shelves, from books to jars containing the weirdest ingredients. She found it all fascinating- the way you could put a few plants together and come up with a deadly poison.

"How many times must I tell you not to touch anything?" He ground out. That had been the first rule he'd imposed of her and she kept on breaking it.

"I'm just interested." Dawn returned. "Do you really want to stop me learning?"

"Unbearable." He muttered, though he was not truly annoyed with her curiosity, and that brought another 'rule' to his mind. "Dawn, I must insist that you stay away from anything red headed in nature and any of their friends."

That got her attention. "Excuse me?"

"I saw you talking with the youngest Weasley boy and Potter yesterday. I further saw your amusement at the twin Weasleys' actions in my class today. I'm afraid it has to stop. As my daughter, I don't wish for you to associate with those people. They are trouble." Snape finished firmly.

Dawn blinked. Was he really telling her who she could talk to? "Are you serious? I can't never see them, we all go to the same school; I share half my classes with Fred and George."

"But that doesn't mean you have to associate with them. They're a poor influence, Dawn. You would be better off with more like-minded friends."

"You mean people from Slytherin?" Dawn guessed. "I don't believe this. I've barely said two words to any of them and already you're warning me off. Well I'm sorry, but I talk to who I want, when I want." With that, Dawn turned on her heels and marched out of the classroom, now determined to associate more with the Weasley family. Okay, so she didn't really like them, but she needed to teach her Dad that he couldn't just try and take over her life the minute she came back to England.

"Dawn!" He called after her retreating form uselessly. Couldn't she see that this wasn't about houses? It was purely about her schooling and her safety. The twins were well on their way to flunking out of their N.E.W.Ts and into lives as professional practical jokers and Potter and his merry gang nearly got themselves killed by their own stupidity at least once a year. But no, she was gone.

As Dawn slammed the door shut behind her, she jumped at the two identical faces that greeted her.

"How long have you been standing out here?" She growled. She couldn't help but be annoyed by those identical cocky grins…and did they have to be so freckly? It was unnatural.

They grinned at each other, not perturbed in the least by her unfriendly tone. "Long enough to know that you're not meant to be talking to us." One of them said.

"So best run along before Daddy-dearest catches you." The other continued seamlessly, dismissing her with his hand.

Dawn glared at both of them. Maybe it wasn't worth talking to them just to annoy her father. No point in cutting off her nose to spite her face. "You were eavesdropping?"

"We were overhearing."

"By accident, of course."

"Whatever." Dawn pushed past them. Idiots.

"Anyhow, we came to a rather beneficial conclusion.

Dawn stopped despite herself. "Oh really? Beneficial to whom exactly?"

"I believe all parties will find it agreeable." Fred said carefully. Rumor had it Dawn was quite quick with a wand (early reports claimed she'd turned three forth years blue when they had called her 'Grease-ball Junior') and while Fred knew that George would have his back, and vise-versa, he didn't particularly want to go to the hospital wing to have a carrot-nose removed or ear-hair-hex reversed.

"You see, your father can be rather… what's the word?" George said as he clicked his fingers.

"Pig-headed? Rude? Mean?" Fred suggested helpfully, still keeping a careful eye on the wand sticking out of Dawn's pocket.

"What's you point?" Dawn snapped. Nope, definitely not worth it, she decided. As much as she might moan and bitch about her father, that didn't mean that anyone else could do it.

"We would take great delight in…baiting him, if you will."

It took a few seconds for realization to click in Dawn's mind. "And if we are seen to be friends then that would piss him off royally."

The twins nodded.

"I don't think so. You see, there's this thing that happens when I stand too close to a Gryff for more than five minutes. It almost feels like I get smothered by all that stifling self righteousness. Quite horrible, you'll agree." Dawn said, making her escape quickly so that they couldn't change her mind. By the end of that short conversation she was ready to transfigure the twins into teacups. Working with them would drive her insane.

"Well that could have gone better." Fred said as he watched the Slytherin go with a glare.

His brother flipped the bird at her retreating back and rolled his eyes. "Her loss."

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"How did it go with your Dad?" Connor asked as Dawn sat next to him in the common room.

"Not great. He started laying down the law on who I could and couldn't talk to. I think I may start being friends with Harry Potter just to irritate him." Dawn huffed, her earlier irritations with the Weasel twins replaced by the longstanding irritation every teenage girl feels with their overbearing father.

"Would you really want to subject yourself to that?" Connor said with a smirk.

"You don't like him then?"

"What, boy wonder? I've never really spoken to him. But I dislike him on principle. There's no way anyone could be that perfect."

Dawn laughed. "I see what you mean. He didn't seem that bad the other day though."

"What, when he was trying to deck my little brother?" Connor returned dryly.

Dawn laughed at the memory. "Trying? He was succeeding. And knowing Drake, he probably deserved it. How are things with you two?"

"Not great. He's not speaking to me, and while I do enjoy the peace I must admit that I'm worried about what he's going to do next." Connor admitted, once again he was amazed at how much Dawn could get him to open up despite only being back in the country for two days.

Connor was surprised to find himself actually missing his little brother. Barely a day went by when they didn't talk for one reason or another and, despite his comments whenever Draco burst into his room, he enjoyed talking to his brother. Well, when he could get a word of sense out of the younger boy anyway.

Connor didn't trust people easily, he didn't get close to them because the closer you were, the bigger the chance was of you dropping you guard and being vulnerable. But he didn't really have to worry about that with Draco- their relationship just came naturally to both of them. He'd always looked out for Draco- the younger boy just didn't think before he spoke and that got him into many a tight spot which he had to be bailed out of. Now the Malfoy pride wouldn't allow Connor (or Draco) to back down, so he couldn't bail him out anymore.

Dawn leant over and hugged him. "Don't worry about him. He's tough, it runs in the family."

"That's what I'm worried about. I know he'll go after Potter again. The only question is when. That, and if he'll actually manage to get himself pounded into the floor again." Connor groaned, working himself up a bit. What would his father say if he let Potter beat Draco into mush?

"Hey," Dawn coaxed gently. She moved a bit closer to him so that she was looking him directly in the eyes. "He'll be okay, Connor."

"Thanks." Connor said with a smile. He didn't entirely believe it, but something about his childhood friend made him feel safe.

Dawn's breath hitched in her throat as Connor smiled at her. She moved back to her original spot on the sofa, not noticing his disappointed look at the loss of contact. She needed to put some breathing space between them. She needed to do some serious thinking. Was it possible that she was falling for the closest friend she had at Hogwarts after only a few days? No, it couldn't be that way. She didn't exactly have a stellar record with guys, never letting them get too close, and from the talk she'd heard from the other girls, Connor was more the 'use them and lose them' type of guy than one that had actual relationships.

That was why she couldn't let any feelings develop. Neither of them had a great track record, the chances are IF (big IF) something ever happened, it wouldn't work out. And if she lost her only proper friend at Hogwarts then school would become unbearable.

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Connor looked up and down the Slytherin table, eyeing up the 'Weasley is our King' badges that had made their way onto most of his classmates' robes. Somehow he doubted that they were showing support for the rival team, and he would have been most put out if they had. He took his seat next to Dawn who was already tucking into breakfast, not troubled by her housemates' accessories.

"What's with the badges?" He asked his voice sounding more suspicious than he intended.

"Probably best you don't know." Dawn grinned. "That way if you're questioned you don't have to lie when you say you couldn't have stopped it. Don't worry though, it's nothing bad, trust me. Well, not that bad anyway."

Not entirely pacified but willing to let it rest, Connor nodded and started his own breakfast. Draco hadn't spoken to him since their argument, not even that morning when in previous years Connor had always had his brother's company leading up to a game. It helped calm his nerves.

Draco did not say anything as he left the Great Hall to go change, nor did he look out for his brother as he lapped the field at the beginning of the game as Connor had become accustomed to.

"So why don't you play?"

"Huh?" He'd been so preoccupied with thought of his brother that Connor hadn't even heard Dawn speak.

"How come you're not on the team?"

Connor shrugged. "Never really wanted to be. So many bloody practices in all weathers, plus I'm not really one for socializing with that lot. I prefer friends who know how to string more than two syllables together."

That was true. Dawn had rarely seen Connor interact with anyone in a really friendly way in the week or so she'd been at Hogwarts. Everyone was nice to him and respected him, a lot of Slytherins feared him, but Connor didn't really have any close friends.

The game started. Dawn was always surprised at how quickly that happened. One minute everyone's still, the next six chasers and four beaters are weaving about trying to control their balls.

"So how does this compare to American Quidditch?" Connor asked with a mocking smirk. "Who would have thought it be possible to play without wearing fourteen tons of padding?"

Dawn rolled her eyes and smiled. She'd heard that debate before- the way American Quidditch, while essentially the same game, involved helmets, knee pads and wrist guards, not to mention the magical safety net underneath the players. Personally, she thought it was sensible; quidditch was notoriously rough. Connor thought it was weak.

A couple of minutes in, the Slytherin stand started getting restless. All the elbow nudging didn't go unnoticed by Connor and his suspicions resurfaced. The ringleader seemed to be Pansy Parkinson, how she got prefect was a mystery, and Millicent Bullstrode. If they were involved then it was bound to be of the not-good variety.

"Weasley cannot save a thing,  
He cannot block a single ring,  
That's why the Slytherins all sing:  
Weasley is our King.

"Weasley is our King,  
Weasley is our King'  
He always lets the quaffle in  
Weasley is our King."

Connor couldn't help but grin. Childish, yes; but also funny and if it didn't put off the competition then he'd eat the sorting hat. Plus there wasn't really anything wrong with it; it was just creative booing and trashing the other team had long been a part of sporting events.

"Would this be Draco's doing by any chance?" Connor asked dryly. It did seem to be his brother's style and for a moment he forgot that they weren't talking and grinned at his figure flying high above the stands.

"How'd you guess?" Dawn also seemed amused by the whole thing. "It's not very nice."

"And you expected what from Slytherin? It's working though."

Slytherin were thirty points up less than five minutes into the game as Ron fumbled the saves.

"Can't argue with success. If only your brother could catch the snitch…"

Connor remained doubtful. Draco was a good seeker, but Harry Potter was very good, as much as he hated to admit it. He felt Dawn trembling against his arm. The game wasn't that exciting.

"Are you cold?"

She nodded. "I did live in California, returning only in the summer. I'm not really used to this kind of weather."

Connor rolled his eyes. It was only November, how would she cope when it got really cold in a couple of months? He didn't even need his winter cloak yet. "Come here."

"…what?"

"Come here. I've got a light warming charm around me." He held open his coat, expecting her to gratefully step in with him. That's what most girls did when he offered. But then Dawn wasn't most girls, and this was one of the situations she didn't want to find herself in.

"I've got one…"

"And another won't help?"

Somewhat reluctantly Dawn leant against him and let him wrap his coat around her.

"Better?"

"Yeah, thanks." She took a slow deep breath and focused on the game again. Absolutely refusing to notice the way she fitted against him just so and how she was the right height for him to see over if he leant his cheek against the side of her forehead.

Seeing things like that would only make things complicated. So she would most definitely have to not see them.

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HOGWARTS- Early December

"Come in, Severus." Dumbledore said as the potions master knocked on his door. "You are probably wondered why I called this meeting."

"The thought had crossed my mind." Snape replied dryly. Must the headmaster always be so mysterious? It got rather tiresome after a while. Of _course_ he wondered why the headmaster had asked to see him.

"I wished to talk to you about two things. I have already spoken to several other Order members about the first, but the second is more personal."

Snape nodded. It was all routine so far.

"You have seen Voldemort gaining strength with your own eyes. It seems that this has caused an increase in dark magic in the atmosphere. Certain creatures from the underworld have started picking up on this darkness and are becoming restless in the areas Voldemort is frequenting. Currently, the situation is not too dire, but I feel that in the upcoming months it may become a problem."

Severus was not surprised. In many ways magic was a sentient being. It could sense other magic near by and reacted to it, especially powerful wizards like the Dark Lord. If Voldemort, one of the most powerful wizards ever, was moving around the country then it made sense that the magical residue was causing disruptions in nearby supernatural communities. "What can we do about that?"

"Us? Nothing. We have enough problems dealing with the death eaters and Voldemort himself. Tomorrow morning I am going to attempt to get into contact with the Watchers Council. They are best equipped to deal with this kind of problem. I am hoping that they will agree to help us as soon as possible in return for shelter and our assistance in the future."

"And if they won't help?"

"Then I shall have to think again, but I believe that they will. They are still rebuilding after that First fiasco, I suspect they will welcome our help. The only reason for staying separate entities was so each could focus on their individual affairs, but it is only a matter of time before the war with Voldemort spills over into the muggle world- and that's their domain. They will want to keep that from happening if they can." Dumbledore said.

It was true that the muggle world would become involved sooner or later. And, even though Fudge was denying Voldemort's return, Dumbledore knew that he had been in contact with the muggle Prime Minister at least once about "known muggle killer" Sirius Black's escape from Azkaban and the Death Eater activity at the Quidditch World Cup. The muggles were already involved; they just didn't know it yet. Dumbledore shook his head, trying to get his matter on the current topic. If was unfortunate that the muggles would be a part of this war, but regrettably unavoidable.

"All I ask of you for the moment is to keep note of the location where Voldemort spends most of his time. These will be the most problematic areas and will need our attention before the magical beings in those places can cause problems."

"Very well." Snape agreed to the task. Make a list of where Voldemort was hiding out? He could do that easily. "What else did you wish to discuss with me?"

"Severus, the Christmas holidays are fast approaching. I was wondering if you had put any thought into how you shall be relaying any information you may receive to the Order?" Dumbledore asked.

"I assumed I would use the floo port as normal, is that a problem?"

"Possibly not. But what will you tell your daughter about your mysterious outings? She will undoubtedly notice that they follow Voldemort's meeting and get suspicious. She may find out about the Order."

"I hadn't really thought about that." Snape admitted.

"Severus, if Dawn had any intention of joining the death eaters then she cannot know the existence of Grimmuld Place." Dumbledore said softly. He knew what a delicate subject it was, if Dawn really had any intention of following Voldemort then it would just about destroy her father.

"I understand, I will find out her intentions tonight." Snape said, already dreading the conversation. He had known that it would have to occur at some point, but he'd always imagined it as a distant event rather than something very real that would have to happen very soon.

As soon as he left Dumbledore's office, Snape used one of the house elves to send a message to Dawn. Twenty minutes they were both sitting in his office, him trying to put off the inevitable when he would find out whether his daughter was good or... not, and her confused as to the reason for the meeting. She eventually called him up on it.

"What's this about, Dad?"

Snape swallowed and sat in the desk chair opposite her. He went straight to the point.

"Voldemort had expressed interest in you taking up the dark mark when you have completed your studies." He said evenly, hoping that his daughter couldn't hear his heart banging against his rib cage in nerves.

Dawn was silent for a moment, looking into her lap. When she looked up her face was unreadable. "And what do you feel about that? Do you wish for me to become a death eater?"

"Of course." His voice was much higher than normal, but Dawn appeared not to notice. Snape cleared his throat and looked at her, silently willing her to defy him. "At the end of the day, the decision is yours. Why would you ask that?"

"Connor told me that his dad didn't want his mum to become an official death eater. Females are the weaker sex after all." As she finished her voice was heavily laced with sarcasm, letting him know what she really thought about that particular stereotype.

Snape tried to keep his emotions from showing on his face. Why hadn't he thought of that? Several of the death eaters had wives and daughters that hadn't officially taken the mark. It may not have worked, especially as Voldemort had shown specific interest in her, but it would have been worth a shot.

He decided to get back to the point. "Dawn, do you wish to take up the mark when you leave school?"

The silence seemed to stretch on forever, although it probably only lasted a few seconds. Eventually, Dawn looked up, the determination clear in her eyes.

"I will." Two words, clear as a bell, her face totally unreadable. Her future now set.

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Please review!!!!


	4. Begin

**DISCLAIMER**: Harry Potter stuff, not mine. Buffy stuff, not mine.

**SUMMARY: **HP/BtVS. When you want to keep something really safe, where do you send them? To two of the most powerful families the wizarding worlds has ever seen of course…

**RATING**: PG-13 for language.

**TIMELINE: **After BtVS and season four finale of Angel. Set during book five of HP, but is AU. Everything happened as written in books 1 thru 4, but I am changing book five significantly. Connor and Dawn are in their seventh year (with the Weasley twins).

**Deliver Me From Evil by Kiara**

**PART FOUR- BEGIN**

Dawn rushed back to the Slytherin tower and headed up the staircase. She knocked twice on the door but didn't wait for an answer as she opened the door to Connor's study.

He was surprised to see her looking so flustered, she didn't get that way over just anything. "Dawn? What's wrong?"

"Tell me, do you want to be a death eater?" She demanded, searching his face for clues. She needed to know for sure.

He laughed nervously. "What? Of course. My father-"

"Isn't here." She walked closer to him and took his hand, still trying to find the reaction she was looking for in his eyes. "It's just me. Tell me."

"What's all this about, Dawn?" Connor asked softly. He didn't like talking about his future, mostly because he wasn't sure he'd have one after he'd shown his true colours. And, even though Dawn was his friend, he didn't want to say something and regret it later. As the muggle wartime saying went: careless talk costs lives. In this case, it could be his life on the line.

"My father asked me if I would become a death eater. I didn't know what to say."

Realisation clicked in Connor's mind and he felt stupid for not seeing it sooner. He knew Dawn better than to think that she'd become a Death Eater. "You don't want to join the Dark Lord."

Dawn looked at him and he could see the fear in her eyes. He had the information that could kill her if the wrong person found out, maybe even her own father. But Connor knew how she felt, because he felt it everyday. He squeezed her hand reassuringly. "I don't want to either."

Dawn breathed a sigh of relief. Now she had someone to share it with. Her first instinct was to talk to Connor, something in her mind knew that he'd understand. His father was a Death Eater, just as Dawn's was, but Connor didn't have the killer instinct necessary to follow in his footsteps. Neither of them did.

"He'll kill us if we don't take the mark."

"I know." He'd been thinking of ways to get out for the last year. They had been getting steadily more ludicrous by the day as he neared graduation and became increasingly desperate.

"We could leave. I have friends in America-"

"He'd find us. We'd need help hiding from him- we'll only be just out of school." It always came down to that, but he'd never known who to go to. Who would believe that a Malfoy would want to fight _against_ Voldemort?

Dawn thought it over. There was only one person powerful and open minded enough to help them; the only man crazy enough to believe them and the only one that Voldemort was afraid of. "Dumbledore?"

Connor nodded grimly. He didn't like the idea- Connor had always thought the headmaster to be a bit senile, brilliant, but senile- however the headmaster was the only person with enough power to help them against Voldemort. He just hoped that Dumbledore would believe them. If he didn't, then they were as good as dead.

Dawn bit her lip, her nerves showing. "We should do it soon." 'Before we chicken out' she added in her head.

He nodded again. "Tomorrow's Saturday. We have no classes."

"Tomorrow it is then." She stood there for a minute, decided whether or not to ask her question. In the month or so she'd been at Hogwarts, Dawn had been keeping Connor at a bit of a distance but that was getting more and more difficult as they got closer. She was starting to not care about her previous worries about something developing between the two of them; she was even starting to hope that it might, despite the obvious risks to their friendship. But right now, she needed his friendship more than anything else.

"Do you mind if I stay here tonight?"

Connor raised one eyebrow at her suggestion and smirked at the blush that stained her cheeks. At times she could be so easy to wind up with a suggestive innuendo- he couldn't help himself; she was cute when she was embarrassed.

"Not like that. I just don't want to have to go back to my dorm and pretend everything's okay." Dawn wasn't really close to her roommates- they'd all be friends long before she'd come along and it was hard to break into a group like that.

Connor agreed immediately. Dawn was his closest friend at Hogwarts and already he was finding it hard to deny her anything. "Of course you can."

They sat and talked for a while longer; trying to get their minds off the situation they were going to face in the morning. It would be so easy for Dumbledore not to believe them, to think that they were trying to spy for Voldemort. It would also mean telling the headmaster that they're parents were death eaters, although both Connor and Dawn were hoping to bypass that fact. They did still love their parents, particularly Dawn, and didn't want to see them locked up in Azkaban.

A couple of hours later when they were both talked out, Dawn made as if to settle down in the arm chair in the corner of Connor's study. He put a stop to that.

"What do you think you're doing?"

She looked to him, the question clear in her eyes.

"Come on. There's plenty of room in the bed and we're eighteen years old. I think we can be trusted not to do anything." He said, pouring them both a glass of water.

Dawn grinned at her friend. "Speak for yourself." Connor choked on his water. Dawn almost blushed, hearing how that innocently intended statement had sounded. "I mean, my birthday's not until August. I'm still seventeen. But you're right. Perfectly trustworthy."

He nodded. Then as a thought occurred to him, he started rummaging in his chest of drawers until he found a white button down shirt. "Here, you can sleep in this if you want. Stop your clothes getting messed up."

Dawn took the shirt gratefully and went into the bathroom to protect her modesty whilst she changed. A few minutes later she was back and they lay on the bed facing each other.

"Are you okay, Dawn?"

She chewed on her bottom lip, a clear sign that she was nervous that he'd noticed within a week of her coming to Hogwarts. "Not really. Tomorrow, I betray my father."

"He may not be a death eater." Connor murmured, not truly believing it. He'd seen Snape at his house when the meetings were being held there.

Dawn voiced his thoughts. "Then why does he keep going to death eater meetings? He might never talk about it in front of me, but he's in deep and you know it as well as I do. Don't you feel guilty about telling Dumbledore about your Dad?"

"Hopefully I won't have to; Dumbledore will already know anyway- everyone knows about him. Besides, he's not my Dad. Sure he his technically, but the only reason he had children was to provide the Malfoy line with an heir. He doesn't really care about me or Draco." Connor said. He wasn't sad, just stating a fact that he'd come to terms with long ago.

She wasn't entirely sure how to respond to that, denying it would be pointless, confirming it heartless. Lucius Malfoy would have traded his heart for more power if his body didn't need it to keep beating. The Malfoy's had never had a real family dinner; they sat spread down the long dining table in silence. They never went on family outings, excluding photo opportunities at the Ministry. Connor wouldn't miss his father's affection, because there was none there to miss. She placed a hand on his shoulder, offering what comfort she could from a touch.

"It's okay, really; it doesn't upset me- I don't know any different. But everything will be, okay I mean. It'll work out, Dawn. That's the way it's meant to be, right?"

She managed a smile for him, but couldn't make it reach her eyes. The next morning they would become outcasts from their family and friends and a target for one of the most evil wizards to ever walk the planet. How exactly could things ever be okay again?

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When Connor awoke the next morning, he looked over to see Dawn lying next to him already awake. "Couldn't sleep either, huh?"

She shook her head. "And I kept having these really weird dreams."

"What about?"

"Not important. Do you think it's too early to go to Dumbledore?"

Connor looked at his watch. By the time they were dressed and ready to go, it would be gone eight o' clock. "We should be fine."

Dawn hopped out of bed and picked up the pile of clothes she'd left next to his bed. Then, almost as if it were a second thought, she went back over to the bed and kissed Connor on the cheek.

"Thanks for letting me stay here."

He returned the smile, and watched her lock herself in his bathroom to change out of the shirt he'd loaned her to sleep in. He couldn't help but notice the way her hips swayed as she walked, making the splits in the shirt open that bit further and showing him a generous amount of thigh. The moment she shut the door he shook his head, as if trying to loose the thoughts from within. Now was not the time to be thinking like that, not with everything that was going on. He would not get a crush on the one person who understood what he was going through.

All he had to do now was quell the little voice in his head saying that it was too late; that the feelings for Dawn were already there.

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"Miss Snape, Mister Malfoy." Dumbledore greeted slightly surprised and also hopeful. How many reasons were there for them visiting him this early on a Saturday? "May I ask the purpose of this early morning visit?"

Dawn looked to Connor to do the explaining. She was surprised at how quickly she trusted him to take the lead, to look after her. She hadn't had any close friends in America but already she'd found someone who she trusted completely; it felt natural to go to Connor after the meeting with her father, who else was there? Who else would she _want_ there? It was then that Dawn reluctantly admitted that she was falling for Connor Malfoy. She'd had a bit of a crush on him in the past, but she'd thought those feelings had faded. Apparently she had been wrong.

"Well, we were thinking about our futures sir." Connor began. "We're aware that there are certain things expected of us and-"

"We don't want to be death eaters!" Dawn blurted out.

Dumbledore looked over to her. So did Connor; so much for his carefully planned speech protesting their innocence. He couldn't help but smile as she blushed under Dumbledore's searching gaze.

Dumbledore sat back in his chair and looked at his two students before him. He had honestly not seen this coming, especially as a rather distraught Snape had informed him of his daughter's intent to join Voldemort not twelve hours before. He had believed that Connor would join Voldemort, even if it were not what it truly wanted. It is a difficult thing to go against ones parents. Dumbledore remembered how it had taken Regulas Black years to be true to himself, only to die a few days later. He didn't want that to happen to anyone else, but he still had to be careful about who he would trust in these darkening times.

Connor looked back at him, little emotion showing on his face, but by looking in his eyes Dumbledore could tell he was not lying. He'd always been a good judge of character and he could tell that Connor was bordering on desperation. The boy, for he was little more than that, did not know what to do, he just knew what he didn't want.

Dawn looked more worried. She was chewing on her bottom lip and fidgeting. She calmed down a little as Connor took her hand under the table where he thought Dumbledore couldn't see and offered her a reassuring smile.

Dumbledore made up his mind. "Very well. I will call your father in here, Dawn, and-"

"No! I mean does he have to know?"

Dumbledore watched as the girl in front of him struggled, torn between loyalty for her father and the knowledge that her father was a death eater. He decided to take pity on her.

"My dear, he was quite upset when you told him you planned to join Voldemort. He will be most relieved when I tell him the truth."

"Huh?" Her father had spoken to Dumbledore? He had been _upset_ when she'd said she'd be a Death Eater? But that wouldn't make sense, not unless…

"He's a spy." Connor exclaimed, realization dawning. Snape was certainly good at it; he would have never suspected it and to fool Voldemort, one of the most skilled legimens of his time, was no mean feat.

"Indeed Mister Malfoy."

Dawn looked hurt. "Why didn't he tell me?"

"I believe he wished to find out your gut reaction, so to speak, before attempting to sway you to our way of thinking. If you were to find out before we knew your intentions would be potentially dangerous for both you and your father." Dumbledore explained gently. He did not want to cause any problems between Dawn and her father, particularly after seeing how distraught Severus was the previous evening.

She nodded. That was acceptable; he'd only wanted to keep her safe. "He's pretty good at pretending."

Dumbledore chuckled slightly. "Indeed. I shall go and send the message; I trust you shall be fine here until I return."

They nodded yes and Dumbledore left the office giving the teens a few moments alone to mull over what had just happened.

"So your dad's one of the good guys. That makes things easier." Conner said with a smile. He was pleased Snape wasn't one of the bad guys for himself as well, it would mean another adult on their side in the school which could only be a good thing. And Snape had always been good to the Malfoy boys, Connor respected and liked him.

"Yeah, for me. What about you though? Are you sure you want to go through with this? Your Dad won't be happy when he finds out."

"I know he won't be. But… We never really got on anyway, it was all fake. I can't be something I'm not for him, not anymore." He looked torn, the recognition that his parents may disown him finally hitting home verses the realization that he was doing the right thing. His father was proud of what he'd accomplished in his life and what he would (or so be believed) achieve in the future. That was about to be over and, while he couldn't regret his actions, it would mean an end to a part of his life- the part as the Malfoy heir.

"I get it." Dawn assured him.

"They'll kill me." Connor said simply. He saw no point in lying to himself about it. "Or if I'm really lucky they'll just throw me out on my own."

"I'm here."

He caught her gaze and suddenly couldn't leave it. He saw emotions swirling in her eyes, she was like an open book and suddenly seemed so vulnerable; all he wanted to do was gather her up in his arms and protect her from the world. Dawn could see the same emotions in his eyes. Usually, Connor didn't show much emotion so it meant something to her that he did when they were together.

They were broken from their moment by Dumbledore coming back into the office with Professor Snape right behind him. Dawn was by her father's side in an instant, needing his approval.

In a move that shocked everyone in the office, Snape pulled his daughter close to him in a hug. He wasn't what you'd call a tactile person by anyone's standards, Dawn couldn't remember the last time he'd hugged her and it took her a moment to respond.

When they pulled apart, Snape stroked one hand over Dawn's hair and allowed a small smile to grace his lips. No more needed to be said.

They joined Connor and Dumbledore, sitting in chairs by the large desk, and waited for the headmaster to speak.

"I don't feel that it is necessary to inform anyone else of your decision yet." Dumbledore said in his raspy voice. "That would only endanger you sooner than we have to as we know Voldemort in intending for you to complete your education before taking up the mark. However it is only a few short weeks until the end of term. Connor, are you happy to return to Malfoy Manor for the Christmas holidays?"

Connor nodded. It may be the last time he got to see his home, his family so he did not wish to miss out on that if possible. It would give him a chance to say goodbye.

"Capital. If that changes at any point or if you feel that you are in any danger then you will find refuge at the Order of the Phoenix headquarters. I would suggest that neither of you tell your housemates of your decision."

"I need to tell Draco. I need to find out how he thinks." Connor spoke up. He wasn't sure how his brother felt about the possibility of following Voldemort. As the oldest, that responsibility had automatically fallen on Connor's shoulders so the subject had rarely been mentioned to Draco. But they were still brothers and Connor needed to look out for him.

Snape and Dumbledore exchanged significant looks. "It would be best if you could do so without revealing your decision." Dumbledore said tactically.

"I'll try."

Dumbledore nodded. "Very well, although I would urge you not to worry. Draco is still only in his fifth year, he still had two years of magical training before he is of any use to Voldemort. For the moment, I am more concerned with the seventh years such as yourselves. If the time comes when you are to take the mark, we will take steps to ensure that that doesn't happen."

The two teens looked visibly relieved. "Thank you."

Dumbledore beamed at them. "Not at all, not at all. The fewer death eaters there are the brighter the future looks for us."

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CZECH REPUBLIC- December

The group huddled together, talking in hushed whispers. That had been happening a lot with this particular group of monks lately. They were the ones charged with watching the Key, making sure that she was protected at all costs. And, though they had not found out anything certain, they were uneasy. Now how to break it to their superiors?

It had seemed like such a perfect place at the time; Hogwarts was said to be the safest place in England and Severus Snape, and by extension his 'daughter', fell under the protection of Albus Dumbledore- the most powerful good wizard since Merlin. All official releases from the magical government spoke of peaceful times, in fact they claimed things were going almost perfectly, as did the main wizarding newspaper- 'The Daily Prophet'. So why were they uneasy?

They couldn't get into Hogwarts. The protection that kept the dangers out also kept them out so they hadn't been able to keep as closer eye on her as they had when she had been with the slayer. Also there had been some underground mutterings of Voldemort returning- one particularly loud statement coming from a half-giant in the pub local to Hogwarts, a fact that a few other patrons had seemed to agree with.

"She was safer with the slayer." One monk muttered. "At least there we could keep a proper eye on here."

"We knew the dangers there. We don't know what's happening here." Another agreed, this seemed to be the opinion of most of the others.

"Exactly, we don't know." One said fervently. "She could be perfectly safe."

"But the giant said-"

"A giant isn't the most trusted source of information." He interrupted bluntly. "There will always be a few rouges proclaiming the end of the world, but we don't know if it's true. With the slayer the end of the world is a constant and real threat. Let's not be hasty, there's no real evidence of war. Nothing at all from official sources, no increase in deaths or fighting. Nothing."

The other monks nodded, some a bit reluctantly. It was true, they had no proof, but they weren't convinced of the safety of the Key. A few were privately thinking that they should get the slayer involved again- despite everything, she'd kept the Key safe for many years.

"We'll keep watching." He was still uncertain, something didn't feel right about that world. "The moment things change…"

The monk who had been defending the wizarding world nodded. "We'll think up a new plan."

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HOGWARTS EXPRESS- December

The rest of the term passed in a blur for Dawn and Connor. Dawn was busy learning those spells which had not been covered by her previous school on top of the heavy seventh year work load and Connor passed his time with work and his prefect duties. He had tried to approach Draco when he had a spare minute and was able to track the younger boy down, but Draco was still angry about the dragging incident and another occasion when Connor had been forced to take points off his brother for fighting (again) only this time Professor Flitwick had been in the vicinity so he had had to take a more active form of punishment. Connor resolved to speak with Draco over the Christmas break. Before they knew it, they were on their way home.

They were talking in low voices in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express that Connor had managed to get to themselves- there were some advantages to being feared by the younger students.

"Did you speak to Dumbledore about staying at the Order?" Dawn murmured, keeping half an eye on the compartment door to make sure no one overheard them.

"Do you know where it is?"

"Sort of. It's heavily protected, I can't explain more." Dawn said as an explanation.

Connor frowned, then realization hit. "Fidelius then? I wouldn't expect them to tell the beget of Lucius Malfoy anything, least of all the secret location of the resistance."

"Connor-"

He waved off her denial. "They have a point; I haven't had a chance to prove myself yet. But Merlin knows how I'm going to do that when I can't even get my own brother to talk to me. If he doesn't see things my way…" Connor trailed off, once again thinking of his brother. He was quiet for a few moments before turning his thoughts to his other worries. "Everyone probably thinks I'm my Dad's clone. Let's face it, the best case scenario is that I'm betraying my entire family. Who'd want to be around someone like that? Not particularly trustworthy wouldn't you agree?"

Dawn grabbed his face in her hands and turned it so that Connor was looking at her. She was tired of Connor putting himself down. "Look at me. Draco will be okay, you are not your father and you are _not_ a horrible person. In fact, some of us think you're pretty amazing."

His breath hitched in his throat as it occurred to him that Dawn was still cupping his face and they were mere inches apart. "Dawn, I-"

He was rudely interrupted by someone slamming opening the compartment door. "So that's where you are."

"Pucey, Montague. What do you want?" Connor asked bluntly not bothering with pleasantries. He could have growled in annoyance at the moment the Slytherins had interrupted. Connor was not naïve, he knew what direction they had been heading in a few moments ago.

Montague smirked. "We're not interrupting are we?"

Connor glared at them rather harshly. In fact, if looks could kill then Pucey and Montague would be six feet under. Of course they were bloody interrupting.

"What. Do. You. Want?" Connor had found himself loosing patience with the other Slytherins recently. He'd always found them infuriating, but now he didn't really bother to hide it. Especially towards Montague. It was guys like him that gave Slytherins a bad name.

"All the Prefects are needed at the front of the train. Little brother was told to find you, but as you two still aren't talking we volunteered our services." Pucey explained sounding bored. The fight between the legendary Malfoy brothers had been entertaining at first, but with the two of them storming around like hungover hippogryffs, cursing and hexing anyone that dared get in their way, it had soon gotten old.

"What for?" Connor asked ignoring the last comment.

"Do we look like prefects to you? Get going Malfoy, don't worry; we'll look after the lady." Montague said with a leer.

Connor glared at them both while Dawn just rolled her eyes. They both knew that it was just talk; nobody would dare try anything with Snape's daughter. In fact, most students actively avoided her.

"Will you be okay?"

Dawn rolled her eyes again. While she did quite like his protectiveness, it was still within her rights to tease him over it. "Of course. I can live without your almighty presence you know." She said with a teasing grin.

With one last glare to the intruding Slytherins, Connor left the compartment in a flurry of robes a la Lucius Malfoy. As Montague and Pucey sat down, Dawn sighed. "So you're not leaving then?"

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When Connor entered the prefects' carriage, he was immediately aware of his brother's glare fixed upon him. When he turned to look, Draco immediately turned his back on his brother. Connor rolled his eyes and turned to Roger Davis, the head boy, who was talking.

"…Just walk up and down the train a few times, make sure the students know we're about. Feel free to stop them doing things they shouldn't." Davis said in his usual pompous manner.

Hermione and Ron slipped in the back of the carriage, not looking particularly happy which wasn't all that surprising really seeing as his father was still in St. Mungo's.

A fact that Draco couldn't let lie.

"He's still alive then, Weasel?"

"Shut up, Malfoy." Ron muttered, for once not rising to the bait. After what had happened to his father, he was still feeling a bit shaky.

"It'll only last so long." Draco continued as he pushed past on his way out of the compartment. "Blood traitors have a habit of making enemies."

Roger Davis frowned as Hermione led Ron off in the opposite direction and went to follow them, stopping briefly beside Connor. "You should learn to control your brother, Malfoy."

Connor acknowledged the comment with a snort. "I'd like to see you control him."

"He's got to learn where to draw the line." Davis said. As far as he was concerned Connor was okay aside from the surname, but Draco was a, what was the politically correct term? Oh yeah: a little shit.

"Good luck with that." Connor muttered as he went after his brother. He caught up with him not far down the train.

"Unless you want Father to know what you've been up to this term, I suggest you stop acting like a spoilt child."

Draco stopped and turned around. "I beg your pardon?"

Connor walked forward, taking his own sweet time as usual. "Muggle brawls, detention, childish fights, the list goes on and on, Draco. And I know that you've been skipping History of Magic. Will I be forced to tell Father how you've been passing your time this term?"

Draco glared, unwilling to give up that easily. A part of him wondered how Connor had found out about his skiving classes when they weren't talking, but then Hogwarts was terrible for gossip. "I'll tell him that you gave me detention."

"I'm a senior prefect. You'd do the same thing in my position. He'd do a million times worse if he knew." Connor had won and he knew it.

"You're meant to be my brother! We're meant to look out for each other and you put me in detention because of Potter?!"

"Flitwick would have done far worse if I'd have left it to him. That's not the point here anyway. If Father sees us not talking then he'd want to know why and I'd hate to have to tell him." Connor knew that he was manipulating Draco, Draco knew he was being manipulated, but there was nothing that the younger boy could do and he knew it.

Draco was silent for a moment going over his very few options. He needed to start thinking things through in advance. "Fine. There's no need for you to tell him."

Connor nodded; he was glad his brother had taken the easy option. The truth was, he wouldn't have told Lucius about Draco's actions this term anyway. Lucius would have undoubtedly punished the younger boy and Connor didn't want that. But Draco didn't need to know that. "Well, best we got started on the rounds then. The sooner they're over, the sooner I can get back to…"

"Dawn? I'm not blind Connor; I know what's happening between you two. Just, be careful, okay?" Draco said quietly, some of the anger he felt towards his brother still present, but most of it had left as quickly as it had come. Draco and Connor never held grudges against each other and during the time they hadn't been talking, Draco had missed his brother. And he'd been worried about him.

"There's nothing to be careful about." Connor said, his eyes straight ahead not looking at his brother.

"I'm not an idiot." No anger or indignation, just the facts. "She may not be a pureblood-"

"You said yourself that Father approves of Snape's daughter. Why wouldn't he? He made Snape your Godfather."

"I wasn't finished. Snape- Dawn- may not be a pureblood, but she's still destined for things, big things, and I'm not sure you're ready for that." Draco said mysteriously. He'd gotten good at eavesdropping around Malfoy Manor (as his parents never told him anything) and picked up on the occasional bit of news. But he wasn't stupid enough to go around shouting his mouth off.

They walked on in silence. Connor wondering if Draco was implying what he thought he was implying, not sure whether to hope he was or wasn't. If Draco truly was implying that Dawn was important to Voldemort, then it would mean she was in danger. But the way he spoke lead him to belief that maybe Draco wasn't the death eater-in-training that everyone believed, after all, he was warning him about potential death eater activity. Maybe he wasn't a lost cause after all. Maybe.

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"So… Snape's daughter, huh? How's that working out for you?"

"Fine." She looked out the window, trying to give them the hint. She'd been polite to her classmates, but not much beyond that. Especially not people like Montague.

"Would it kill you to be pleasant, Snape?"

"You have met my father? Not big with the pleasantries. I guess I picked up on a few things." She said bored, watching the scenery pass by outside.

"I doubt Malfoy would agree with that?" Montague sneered. He didn't really like Connor, mainly because Connor didn't like him and had snubbed him on numerous occasions.

That got her attention. It took all her effort to keep her cool as she raised one eyebrow and looked at them. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me Snape." Montague leant forward. "When we came in here you were gazing into each others eyes like you were sodding Romeo and Juliet. And then you factor in the face-touching and the nose-brushing. It was quite sickening really."

"Montague." Pucey warned. It was not smart to get on the wrong side of Snape's daughter, you never knew what the man might do if provoked. But the other two students in the compartment ignored him.

"We are just friends." Said Dawn firmly.

"Not for lack of trying, eh Snape? What's the attraction then? The money? Or could it be his heritage?"

Dawn got up sharply. If she didn't leave now then there was an excellent chance that she'd say something she'd regret. She paused in the doorway and turned back to them, her face set in the cold mask she put on so well. "I'd watch who you talk to in the future, Mister Montague." She said curtly. "You never know who may fight back."

"Is that a threat?" He called out. Ron Wesley and Hermione Granger also got the full force of his comment as they walked past on their patrol of the corridor. They peered into the compartment as they passed.

"What are you looking at mudblood?"

Hermione put her hand on Ron's arm which was already reaching for his wand and pulling him down the corridor. "Leave it Ron."

"She's right, Weasley." Dawn injected, glaring back towards the Slytherins in the carriage. "He's not even worth it."

"What was that all about?" Hermione asked when they were out of ear shot.

"He's a prick." Dawn said, sighing as Hermione tutted over her language. "For Gods sake, Granger, we're fighting a war here; don't you think you should pick your battles?"

She was already down the corridor before her comments registered with the two Gryffindors.

"Did she just say we?"

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Merry Christmas!!! Or Happy Holidays for those who want politically correct seasonal greetings! Have an awesome time and a fabulous new year! X


	5. Live Again

**DISCLAIMER**: Harry Potter stuff, not mine. Buffy stuff, not mine.

**SUMMARY: **HP/BtVS. When you want to keep something really safe, where do you send them? To two of the most powerful families the wizarding worlds has ever seen of course…

**RATING**: PG-13 for language.

**TIMELINE: **After BtVS and season four finale of Angel. Set during book five of HP, but is AU. Everything happened as written in books 1 thru 4, but I am changing book five significantly. Connor and Dawn are in their seventh year (with the Weasley twins).

**A/N:** Thanks for reviews, this chapter skips about the Christmas holidays.

**Deliver Me From Evil by Kiara**

**PART FIVE- LIVE AGAIN**

Connor got off the Hogwarts express full of doubts. Could he convince his father that he hadn't changed his mind about everything? He spotted his fathers pale blond head easily and took a deep breath preparing to act normal. He felt a hand squeeze his and looked down to see Dawn smiling her support up at him.

"Have a great Christmas." She said, also focusing on acting normal. Everything else had had to be said on the train or at Hogwarts.

"You too." He shifted his bag out of the way and gave her a one-armed hug.

"Be careful." Dawn whispered oh-so-quietly as she pulled back.

Connor nodded and looked up to see his father approaching.

"Hello Connor, you had a good journey I trust?" He said smoothly. His immaculate appearance made him look slightly out of place in the dingy London station.

He nodded. "Father, you remember Dawn Snape?"

"Of course. Always a pleasure, Miss Snape."

"Dawn, please. It's great to see you again, Mister Malfoy." She returned, glad that she had been raised to hide her emotions when it mattered. It meant that she could speak to Lucius Malfoy in the same way she always had when all she really wanted to do was kick his shins.

"Did you enjoy America? I hear that the people there are not nearly as backward as they used to be." He said, not bothering to hide his distain for all things un-British.

"It was an experience." She said ambiguously, reining in her fury at his insults towards the country that had been like a second home to her for more than six years.

"I'm sure it was. Is your father around, Dawn?" Lucius asked, looking around to see if he could spot the potions master.

"No, he has to stay at Hogwarts until tomorrow so he organised a car to take me to the floo port at Diagon Alley." Dawn explained. Every fibre of her being was screaming 'run away' from the dark magic she could feel surrounding Lucius, but she forced herself to stay.

"Connor, Draco is already in the car with your Mother. We really must be on our way; you know how she hates those muggle contraptions. But perhaps Dawn would like to visit some time before you return to school; I know your Mother would love to see her again." He said on the same level tone, Connor never knew if he was being serious.

Dawn answered for him. "Sure, I'd like that. I better go to, my car's probably waiting. Take care, Connor." She reached up and brushed a kiss to his cheek. "I'll see you soon. Goodbye Mister Malfoy."

Connor hurriedly removed the smile from his face as he saw his Father's smirk and started to leave the station. Lucius had been trying to set his sons' up with 'suitable' matches ever since they were born and Dawn Snape had been someone he'd always approved of.

"Not bad, son. Not bad." Lucius said with a hint of a leer.

Connor kept staring straight ahead, biting the side of his cheek to stop the comment threatening to spill out. Never before had he been so glad that the Christmas holidays were only three weeks long.

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SPINNERS END, December

"I'm seventeen. You can't stop me." Dawn hissed to her father. It seemed like they'd been arguing for hours, going round in circles, repeating themselves over and over.

"I am your father." Snape said as if that settled everything. Which in his mind, it did.

"Well duh! Why else would I ask your permission?"

"How many times do I have to tell you not to make that…sound? I did not raise you making nonsensical noises and I don't expect you to start now."

"Dad, please!"

"No."

Dawn crossed her arms and glared at her father. "I'm going to do it anyway."

"No you're not, it's too dangerous." Once again Snape felt like throttling his daughter. Why did she insist on putting herself in unnecessary situations like this?

"The whole situation is dangerous. You never know, I might be safer if I'm a member of the Order. I'm not a little girl anymore, Dad, and you can't protect me from this. I want to help."

Snape kept on glaring for a moment before sighing. "If this is truly what you want, then you're right, I cannot stop you. Though Dumbledore will not allow you to become a full member of the Order until you leave school. But I don't want you taking any unnecessary risks, I don't want you putting yourself in danger."

"I won't put myself in any more danger than I can help." Dawn agreed.

Snape gave her a sharp look at the rewording, but nodded his consent. Truth be told, he knew that Dumbledore would not ask Dawn to do anything dangerous, the only 'mission' she would likely have would be to spy on the Slytherins for the next six months. And he knew that she would probably do that anyway thanks to her nosy nature. He knew that she was sneaky enough to get away with it.

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12 GRIMMULD PLACE, December

Harry smiled as Sirius, Ron, Ginny, Fred and George burst into another rousing chorus of 'Frosty the Snow-witch'. In the time they'd been decorating the house he'd learnt many of the Christmas carols of the wizarding world, as had Hermione, and generally been filled to the brim with festive cheer, despite the events of the last week which was why Mr Weasley was in St. Mungo's hospital instead of at the burrow.

As they finished, Hermione turned around intending to congratulate them, but lost her footing on the table she'd been balancing on. She screamed and braced herself for the impact with the floor, but it never came.

Everyone looked from where she was hovering a few foot from the ground to the door where Dawn Snape was standing with her wand out.

"What are you doing here, Snape?" Ron asked when Hermione was safely on the ground.

"And a Merry Christmas to you too." She rolled her eyes. Did they really have to take the inter-house rivalry this far? Especially as she'd just stopped Granger from breaking her neck. Stupid Gryffs. And if that wasn't enough fun, then Black had been sending her death glares since she'd walked in and she was pretty sure he had to forcibly stop himself for reaching for his wand. Did he not realise that they were on the same side, at great personal risk to her own safety, I might add, and when all this came out her social life would go down the toilet faster than a dead goldfish. Talk about sacrifice. But yet they still went with the distrustful glaring. With allies like this, who needs enemies? "My Dad needed to see Professor Dumbledore."

"Well you're an Order member aren't you? Why aren't you with him?" Fred said a touch bitterly. Their mother would not let him and George become members until after they left Hogwarts and Dumbledore would not overrule her.

"Not a full member. So…can I help?" She asked. She didn't really like these people, but she would make an effort. Plus it probably wouldn't help her cause if she was constantly bickering with the golden boy and his equally golden friends.

They all went quiet and looked at each other or the floor. Anywhere but at her. While they may not actively dislike Dawn (well, sort of), they didn't actively like her either. And they certainly didn't trust her. The hat put her in Slytherin for a reason, and it probably wasn't for her love of cold dungeons.

"Fine. I'll just watch."

Slowly everyone went back to what they were doing, though the carefree atmosphere had been lost. Dawn wandered over to look at the Family Tree that hung in the corner. Sirius watched her squinting up at it for a moment before rolling his eyes. There were too many Snapes in this house but Dumbledore insisted that they be allowed to visit. He didn't like it but _apparently_ he had to 'set an example' in front of the children. For the moment he was trying to keep his distance- he didn't want to catch any snake cooties. Still, curiosity got the better of him and he went over.

"Why aren't I on here?" She asked the moment she saw him before he could get in the gibe that was undoubtedly on the tip of his tongue.

"You're related to Sirius?" Harry asked loudly, catching everyone else's attention. Part Snape and part Black? That wasn't good.

"Sort of, not by blood or anything; my family married into the Blacks generations ago. Phineas Nigellus' brother-in-law was my great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather. Sirius is, what, my forth cousin thrice removed through marriage on my mother's side? Something like that. It's more than just a little bit confusing."

Sirius nodded in agreement. Trace his tree back far enough and he was probably related in some way to just about every wizard of pure blood decent. The only reason he was even aware of his and Dawn's incredibly distant relation was because after being blasted off the family portrait he did some research into the other former-names-current-black-scorch-marks on the tapestry and their families.

"You knew this?" Harry couldn't believe that he hadn't said anything. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"We're not even blood relations." Sirius said with a laugh. "Harry, I'm distantly related to all the pureblood families. The Weasleys, the Longbottoms, not to mention most of the Death Eater families like the Bullstrodes and the Crabbes. I was even related to your dad through marriage." Sirius revealed. He'd never put much stock in the Black family tree, 'toujours pur' be damned.

"Really?" Harry perked up. Sirius and he were actually family.

Sirius pointed to a branch of the tree which had been 'discontinued' generations ago. "Dorea Black married Charlus Potter who had a brother. Follow the brother's line down three or four generations and you'd find your dad. But I chose my own family, Harry. What name I was born with means nothing to me anymore."

Harry nodded. He knew that Sirius didn't like to be associated with the Black family name. Besides, he'd always thought of Sirius as family anyway. "So you and Snape are related?!"

"No!" Sirius said, with an obvious shudder. He didn't want to be related to Snape, no matter how distantly or un-blood-like it may be.

"They would only be related through marriage and my parents never married." Dawn explained with a glare at Sirius. "So how come I'm not on your tree?"

"You descend from Phineas right? The muggle-rights campaigner?" Seeing her nod he continued. "Well he was blasted off centuries ago although my mother did think of reinstating his line when your grandfather died, he was a true Black." Sirius frowned. His mother had always been blithering on about 'true Blacks' that weren't actually Black's at all. She'd always been happy to take 'credit' for anyone who she approved of whether they were family or not. "Even though he wasn't technically a Black."

"What about your mother?" Hermione asked, her curiosity peeked.

"Cassandra Lemort. She's in the Azkaban with a bunch of her Death Eater buddies." Dawn said darkly. She barely remembered her mother, but what was there wasn't very favourable. Her mother had been the one who had kept banging on about their tenuous link to the Black family. It seems that in Death Eater terms, the Blacks were practically royalty and if she could be connected with them then she wouldn't let anyone forget it.

"She was a Death Eater?"

Dawn nodded, not entirely comfortable with the way this conversation was going. Telling that her mother had been a Death Eater was probably not the best way to gain the Order's trust. "She was arrested when I was four for trying to continue the Dark Lords work. She wasn't really a nice person."

"Oh." Harry wasn't sure what to say. He wouldn't apologise because Death Eaters deserved to be in the Azkaban. And, for some reason, Sirius seemed to be (almost) alright with Dawn even though she was Snape's daughter. Well, compared to how Snape was with him at any rate. He mostly just ignored her. Made the occasional bitchy comment. Sometimes glared. But that was it really.

Dawn cleared her throat, anxious to get things onto a more pleasant footing. "So… decorations?"

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CZECH REPUBLIC, December

"Her mother's in the Azkaban." The monk hissed urgently, shaking his head so that the brown hood fell back off his head.

"What?" His companion pulled them both into an empty side room. They were the two who were most concerned about the Key, and they had voiced their concerns to the others, but there was no proof that the Key was in danger. "Have you told the others?"

The first monk, Martin, nodded, still looking worried. "They said that she was out of the way. That there was no way to escape from the Azkaban, that it has the highest security of anywhere in the world. That there was no way she could harm the Key even if she ever found out what we'd done- which she won't. But I'm not entirely sure, Thomas. Two years ago a mass murderer, Sirius Black, escaped and he still hasn't been found."

"We'll have to keep an eye on things more closely." Thomas said slowly. Things were fast getting out of hand. "I can't believe we're the only one who thinks that the Key was safer with the slayer."

"Apparently she's the most important thing in her father's life. He'd die for her." Martin wrung his hands in worry.

"Hopefully it won't come to that." Thomas said thoughtfully. "Still, it might be worth making preparations, just in case the Key needs more protection."

"We can't remove her without the others." Martin said, his mind working to try and think of a solution.

"No, but we might be able to override some of the spell if it becomes necessary and the right circumstances arise." Thomas said firmly. He did not want to have to take that option, but if the fate of the Key depended on it then he would. For all of their sakes. "Everything should be in place…_everyone_ should be in place. Tell me, Martin, what news do you have of the Destroyer?"

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MALFOY MANOR, December

Connor looked up at the knock on his bedroom door. He'd been home for nearly a week and as of yet no one had disturbed him except for meals or the outings his father insisted he accompany him on.

Draco walked into the room and threw himself down on the bed. "They're fighting again." He didn't sound upset, just bored and irritated.

Their parents had been fighting since before Connor was born and not just little disagreements, big noisy rows. Neither boy thought much of it anymore; it was just one of those things that happened. As Draco's room was so close to their parents, he often sought refuge with Connor when he couldn't block out the yelling, the breaking china and the slamming doors anymore.

"It makes you wonder why they ever got married." Connor mused as he put away his homework to talk to his brother.

"They probably got on at some point."

"Probably. Before Voldemort." Connor said passively.

Draco flinched. "Are you crazy? You don't say that name ever!"

"Why not? It's just a name and you and I are the only ones here. I'm not scared of the name, just the person."

"Aw, is little ConCon scared?" Draco sneered, but it lacked the nastiness he usually managed to put behind it. He was more than a little shaken about hearing the name he'd always known, but had never spoken aloud.

"Of an evil wizard who would kill me without a second glance if I don't get some ugly tattoo and there's nothing I can do about it? Damn straight."

Draco looked at his brother sharply. He'd never heard anyone in his family speak badly of Voldemort and something in Connor's voice made him think that he was being deadly serious… with an emphasis on the 'dead'. "What's that meant to mean?"

"What do you think it means?"

"That you're not going to get the mark?"

Connor held his gaze, neither confirming nor denying the question, leaving his brother to draw his own conclusions. Connor wasn't an idiot, and at this point he could not reveal to Draco his intentions out right. He needed to ease him into it a little more so that he wouldn't shock him into going straight to their father.

But in Draco's mind, the silence was all the answer he needed. He had wondered before if Connor had it in him to become a death eater; he was too much of a 'nice guy' to be able to stand killing hundreds of muggles and wizards. Draco had been having some doubts in his own mind already. True, he didn't like muggle borns, but killing them all off along with god knows how many half bloods and a fair few pure bloods seemed a little extreme.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to." Connor said quietly.

For a moment he wondered if Draco had heard him, he certainly gave no indication of it- he kept looking down into his lap, not moving a muscle. The silence was unsettling, but neither one broke it, Draco staring at his knees, Connor staring at his brother.

They both looked over to the window as an owl tapped gently on the glass until it was let into the room.

Connor removed the parchment from the owl's leg and smiled as he recognised the curling writing on the envelope. He tore it open and read the letter quickly, promising himself a more luxurious read at a later date.

"Who's it from?" Draco asked even though he already knew the answer.

"Dawn. She's invited me to visit her on Christmas Eve. Will you be okay here on your own if I go?"

Draco nodded and Connor went downstairs to inform their parents of his plans leaving the younger boy on his own, his mind reeling.

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SPINNERS LANE and 12 GRIMMAULD PLACE, December 24th

With a few words from his father, Connor stepped into the fireplace and soon found himself at the Snape residence in Spinners Lane where Dawn was waiting for him. The moment he stepped into the living room, Dawn muttered a charm to clean the soot from his robes and gave him a hug.

"How are you holding up?"

"Pretty good." He murmured into her hair. "It's all the same as normal. What about you?"

"Yeah, I'm good. I managed to convince Dad to let me join the Order."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? You could get hurt." Connor said worried. He'd heard of the Order of the Phoenix from his father. Being a member would make you an instant target for Voldemort.

"As I have told her repeatedly." Snape said as he entered the room. "Welcome, Mister Malfoy."

"Thanks for inviting me, Professor."

Connor finally looked at the room he was standing in. It was exactly how anyone would imagine the potions master to have his rooms. There were books from floor to ceiling on all the walls and old, dusty furniture stood in the centre. It was obvious that Snape spent most of his time at Hogwarts.

"Dawn, I have just received an owl from Professor Dumbledore asking for us to go to headquarters." Severus said, flicking his eyes to Connor as he spoke. Was he really ready for this?

"What about Connor? He's only here for the day, we can't just abandon him."

"Would you like to come?" Snape asked. "You must understand that if you do this, there is no going back."

Connor nodded. He'd already made his decision and wasn't about to change his mind now. He wasn't the sort of person that could run away from his problems, he needed to face them head on. "I'm in."

Snape studied him for a moment before nodding curtly. He handed Connor a piece of paper with the address of Grimmuld Place on it and one at a time they stepped in the fireplace and disappeared.

When Connor stepped out of the floo for the second time in two minutes, he found himself in a bright kitchen surrounded by redheads. Great, Weasley central.

"What are you doing here, Malfoy?" One of the twins asked harshly.

"Dumbledore invited me."

"He's really lost it this time."

"Ron!" Ginny was turning out to be a lot like her mother in some respects.

"What? Anything we say will be leaked straight back to Daddy-dearest and will get us all killed!"

"I'm not like my father." Connor said quietly. He didn't like defending himself, to be honest he couldn't see how it was any of their business, but he had to say something or they'd assume the worst.

"Damn straight." Dawn said, jumping to her friends defence. "People aren't necessarily like their family, look at Sirius."

"That's different. Sirius has always been against the Dark Arts and he was sorted into Gryffindor." Harry shot back, still glaring at Connor.

"Firstly, your house doesn't define you. Pansy's mother was in Gryffindor and so was Montague's and they're both Death Eaters. Secondly, are you talking about Sirius Black? The one who escaped from Azkaban?"

"Yes." Dawn said at the same time as Harry said "No."

"It doesn't mater anyway. I don't want to work for a 'Lord' who would kill me as soon as I do something he didn't like, or for one that would make me kill others. I'm not like that."

It was quiet for a moment as the Weasley's and Harry all eyed Connor suspiciously. Fred and George were happy to give him a chance, or at least tolerate him, aside from the bloodline and house Connor had always seemed alright to them. He didn't brag about his status or try to curse the muggle borns, he seemed to keep his head down and get on with things mostly. The others felt the same, although they had little to do with the older boy.

"So, are we sorted now?" Dawn asked. She received a minute nod from Harry. "Good. Connor, do you want to help me clean out the living room? Some pixies flew in there from the store cupboard when I was looking for more furniture." She dragged him off without waiting for an answer and into the living room, which seemed suspiciously pixie free.

"You fit in here well." Connor noted.

"I've been here longer than you have, they'll learn to trust you too. I had to be nice to them for a week and offer to take a blood oath that I wouldn't betray the Order before they even started to tolerate me. And they still don't like me."

"Yeah, well I think it'll be a while before they accept me like they have you."

"They just have to see what I see, and then it'll be fine." Dawn said with absolute certainty.

"And what is it that you see?" Connor said, moving behind her. As he laid a hand on her shoulder, he felt her shake and gasp slightly. It was at that contact that he became certain of how she felt; it was almost as if he could feel her heart beat that little bit faster, of course that was impossible, but it gave him that extra bit of confidence.

Dawn blushed, feeling his breath again her neck, making her hair stand on end. She turned around. "I… uh."

She mentally cured her self. 'I…uh.' Oh yeah, very smooth. Very not dumb. But Connor didn't seem to have noticed her verbal incompetence. And she was a bit preoccupied with the hand he'd put round the back of neck, tilting her head back slightly, to worry about speaking. She was getting the feeling that this was going to be one of those times when you didn't really need words anyway.

Connor slowly inched closer to her. "Tell me to stop. Just tell me to stop and I will." He whispered, hoping that she wouldn't take him up on the offer.

Dawn's response was to move closer to him, closing those last few inches between them so their lips were almost touching. That was all the permission Connor needed as he captured her lips in his own.

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Ron went into the kitchen to get himself a drink. He saw a familiar figure sitting at the table and grinned. "Alright mate?"

"How's your Dad?" Harry asked, full of worry.

"Good. He's still singing your praises."

"Yeah." Harry said sadly. He still blamed himself for the attack even though Mister Weasley had laughed off his guilt.

"So what do you think about the snakes?" Ron asked changing the subject. He knew that no matter what anyone said Harry would blame himself, that was just how he was.

"I don't know." He frowned. It was a risk letting Malfoy's son into the Order headquarters and he knew it. "I don't like them."

"Me neither." Ron replied automatically. They were Slytherins- why would he like them? "They seem alright though. For snakes anyway. They don't seem like death eaters."

"I can't see Dawn working for Voldemort. She seems too independent to be taking orders from him, plus she took the oath. And Malfoy… I don't even remember seeing him around Hogwarts all that much last year, but something tells me he's okay. He's been fine with Hermione."

"Fred and George said that he was alright, just quiet." Ron revealed.

Harry shrugged. "Dumbledore thinks they're okay, he knows more of what's going on than we do. He'll sort it."

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The kissing thing, Conner decided, was much better with Dawn than it was with the other Slytherins he'd been with. Of course there was the added advantage of actually caring for Dawn which probably cinched the deal.

He'd moved the both of them onto the sofa since they had began; they'd both fallen in a tangle of limbs until he'd settled in between her legs, taking his weight on his arms so that he wouldn't crush her. In his mind, Connor was telling himself to slow down, that Dawn probably didn't want this so quickly. The only problem was that his body wasn't really listening and his hand was slowly inching up under her jumper of its own accord.

That is, until they were forced apart by a growling potions master.

To say that Snape had not been amused when he had walked past the open living room door to see Connor Malfoy lying on top of his daughter would be an understatement. He'd immediately seen red and had grabbed Connor by the back of his robes and pulled him into the nearest wall with an almighty crash.

Of course the crash alerted the rest of the people in the house who then started popping out of the other rooms and into the living room where all the action was to see Professor Snape trying to choke Connor Malfoy, who was simply staring back at him calmly, while Dawn Snape adjusted her hair and clothing whilst yelling at her father. It didn't take a genius to work out what had happened.

"Dad! Let him go! You're hurting him!" She tried to tug on one of the arms pinning Connor to the wall, but he didn't budge.

"It's okay." Connor muttered quietly. It wasn't hurting him at all really, although it was mildly uncomfortable.

"No it's not." Dawn protested. "He has no right-"

"I'm your father." His voice sounded more dangerous than usual, the snarl not helping matters. "I will not just stand by and watch while he puts his grubby hands all over you."

You could almost hear the gasp from the spectators watching; it was better than a muggle soap opera.

Dawn put all her effort into one last tug and finally got some of her father's single minded attention on her. "Stop it! No, you have no right. You've barely spoken to me in years. What makes you think that all of a sudden you can tell me what to do, who to see?" Much to her irritation, Dawn felt tears welling up inside her eyes. "Just leave me alone."

"Dawn!" Connor called after her as she fled from the room, but she paid no attention.

Snape watched her go, seemingly impassively. Only someone who knew him well would see the hurt from his daughter's words shining in his eyes. He watched her disappear up the stairs and listened as one of the doors slammed closed two stories above them. A moment later he swept into the kitchen, his robes billowing, and he slammed a door of his own.

"Poor dear." Mrs. Weasley muttered sympathetically and Remus nodded in agreement.

"Where would she go?" Connor asked suddenly.

The two adults shared communicative looks. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"I need to talk to her and I don't have time to search the whole house… please."

Harry, Ron and Hermione shared looks of their own as the elder Malfoy brother pleaded for Dawn's location. Maybe it wasn't totally impossible for him to want to join the Order as they'd thought. They'd never heard a Malfoy ask for something politely before, especially from a 'blood traitor' or a 'mudblood'.

"She's probably gone to Buckbeak's room." Harry volunteered. "She went up to the second floor and there's not all that many unlocked and habitable up there. Go up and it's the second door on the left."

"Thank you." He murmured genuinely and he started to go up the stairs.

Sure enough, Dawn was where Harry had suggested, petting the hippogriffs side absently.

"Hey." He greeted.

She looked up quickly, surprised to see him. Although, she wasn't actually crying you could see the tears in her eyes waiting to fall. "Hi."

"Are you okay?" Connor said, cursing himself for the stupid question. Of course she wasn't okay.

Despite herself, Dawn nodded and gave him a shaky smile. It had been hard to adjust to not having her dad around for most of the year. Now it was proving almost as hard to let him back into her life. She'd gotten used to looking out for herself in America and it was strange to have to start listening to someone else's opinion again.

"You didn't have to say those things to your Dad, he wasn't hurting me."

She'd flinched slightly when he mentioned Snape, but then she shook her head. "He still shouldn't have reacted that way. He doesn't even know me."

"He's still your father. At least he cares about you. I doubt mine would bat an eye at anything I did so long as it wasn't damaging his reputation."

"He loves you, in his own way." Dawn said, but she wasn't that convinced that Lucius Malfoy was capable of love.

Connor shared her sentiments, but shrugged it off. He had long come to terms with the distant relationship (using the term loosely) he shared with his father. "Maybe he does. You should talk to your dad; you're the only one he listens to outside Dumbledore anyway. I know you hate fighting with him."

"I will. Later. You're only going to be here for another hour or so and he could use some time to cool off. And I guess I could too." Dawn added. "I just can't believe he grabbed-"

"Hey, hey." Connor interrupted softly. "Cooling off, remember?"

"Sorry."

"Don't apologise, just come here." He leant back on the wall and pulled her back against him.

"What are we doing?" Dawn asked after a while.

"What do you mean?"

"Us. What's going on with us?" She clarified, making Connor feel stupid for asking. But he couldn't find the words to answer.

"I like you but I don't want to lose you as a friend. Not with all that's going on." Dawn said slowly, twisting around so she could watch his reaction. A part of her was worried about what he might say, what if he didn't say what she wanted to hear?

"We'll still be friends. Even if this doesn't work," he gestured around them; "then I'm not going anywhere. But I want to give it a shot. What do you say?"

"How is it that I trust you more than the people I went to school with for six years in the States?" Dawn said with a smile as she leant back against him again.

Connor took that to mean that she was going to give them a shot as well. It occurred to him how right it felt even in the current situation when they were facing probable death. Everything seemed to pale in significance to what he felt around Dawn, never had he felt so comfortable around one person and had so much in common with them. He dropped a kiss onto her forehead and smile when she leant into him closer in response. If he didn't know any better, he'd swear that this was too easy.

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Everyone averted their eyes (accept Snape who just glared) as Connor defiantly leant down to give Dawn a quick kiss goodbye.

"Stay safe." She whispered.

Connor gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile and waved a hand towards everyone else before stepping into the fireplace and vanishing.

Everyone went back to what they were doing, leaving Dawn standing there with Hermione, Ron and Harry.

Hermione cleared her throat. "Are you okay, Dawn?"

Dawn turned to the younger girl surprised. They'd never spoken at great lengths to each other so her concern was touching. "I'm fine. It's just…dangerous. If his parents find out where he's been then they'll kill him."

"They won't find out." Harry said confidently. He was slowly coming to like the two seventh year students although he didn't know them that well. They made things interesting, even if they were Slytherins. "He's a sneaky, manipulative git."

"Harry!" Hermione scolded, but Dawn just laughed.

"Whatever keeps him alive is fine with me." She caught a glimpse of her father in the next room and sighed. "Excuse me for a minute guys, I have to go grovel."

Ron followed her line of sight to where Snape was working in the next room. "Rather you than me."

Dawn approached her father slowly. She knew he could hear her, but he made no attempt to look up or acknowledge her presence in any way.

"I'm sorry."

He looked up expectantly.

"I shouldn't have said what I did." Dawn continued. "But I was right; you can't tell me what to do."

"Your idea of an apology leaves a lot to be desired." Snape muttered. He got up and closed the door she had just entered through, the door which the three Gryffindors had been watching through.

"You overreacted." She insisted.

"Maybe I did. But Dawn, you are my daughter. Even if we don't speak for fifty years then you will still be my daughter and no one will ever be good enough for you. And no matter what you may think, I do love you."

He spoke more softly than she had ever heard him speak before. Dawn felt the tears pricking at her eyes again at his rare declaration. She crossed over to where he was standing and tentatively wrapped her arms around him. After a moment he hugged her back, holding her just as tightly. Neither of them even noticed when Lupin opened the door and came in only to back out, silently closing the door when he saw who was inside.

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BATH, December 24th

"It's Christmas Eve and we're in England. Shouldn't it be snowing?" A short blond woman peered out the window, clearly pouting.

"It rarely snows in December, Buffy, especially this far south." Rupert Giles said as he opened the letter which an owl had just delivered.

"That's another perfectly good stereotype ruined. I should have stayed in Rome." She grumbled, flouncing over to wear her watcher was and sitting down opposite him. "So what's the what?"

"It's from Professor Dumbledore. He's invited us to the Order of the Phoenix headquarters as soon as we wish to go. If we spend Christmas here, I know Willow would appreciate another couple of days to catch up with the coven, and then start easing into things next week."

"Sounds good to me." Buffy said. "So next week we go to the magic place. What do you think it'll be like?"

Giles stood up and picked out a book from one of the many shelves around the room. "I can't possibly imagine."

No. He probably couldn't.

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Please review!!!!

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	6. One Day, Pt 1

**A/N:** Sorry about the lateness- I decided to go in a different direction than I originally was going too so it took a little longer. This is the first half of part 6- it was getting way too long to post as one part and this bit was ready to post.

**Deliver Me From Evil by Kiara**

**PART SIX- ONE DAY, PART 1**

12:03am, 30th December

The sun was rising slowly in the distance.

Dawn quirked one eyebrow. "A dawn for Dawn. Cliché much?"

"We like the classics." A voice, managing to be both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time, said from behind her.

Dawn span around coming face to face with a woman a few years older than her. She had dark blond hair that reached down to her shoulders and wore a long, deep green dress, cinched in at the waist with a length of gold cord. Like the voice, the woman seemed both familiar and unfamiliar to her.

"Do I know you?"

"You used to. But a memory's only a memory if you remember it." She replied cryptically, but she continued before Dawn could question it. "Have a seat."

Dawn did so, not taking her eyes off the woman. The minute she'd appeared in this… wherever, she'd realised that she was dreaming. That in itself was weird, she couldn't ever remember being aware of dreaming before. "Who are you?"

"A friend."

Oh great, very helpful. Very descriptive. "A friend of mine?"

"Could be." She shrugged and started shuffling a pack of cards. After a minute she offered them to Dawn and she picked one, still not sure where this was going. It was the two of hearts.

"Two hearts." The woman said with a smile. "You must be pretty special to have two give you their hearts."

Dawn eyed her critically. "Who are you?"

"Call me Tara." She shuffled the cards again, but when she moved her hands away she was now holding a dice which she rolled across the table. It got bigger as it rolled, becoming about the width of Dawn's hand, and started glowing yellow until you could no longer see the dots marked on it.

"Don't break." Tara warned as Dawn picked up the glowing yellow cube and started inspecting it.

"I'll be careful." Dawn said, turning it over in her hands.

"I didn't say 'don't break _it'_. I said: don't break. Some things are made to be broken. Don't you be one of them."

When Dawn looked up, Tara was gone and so was the yellow cube.

_Don't Break._

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1:36am, 30th December

He was hiding. Hoping that whatever it was would go away. They certainly hadn't covered beasts like that in DADA. This thing wouldn't give in that easily, it seemed to know where he was hiding. Connor could hear its breath mere inches away on the other side of the boxes he was hiding behind. He closed his eyes, preparing for the end. But then it stopped quite suddenly.

Connor cautiously opened one eye. There was a strange woman standing over him with an amused smirk on her mouth. She was dressed like a muggle, though he thought he could sense something magical from her. She obviously found his actions highly amusing as she was trying not to laugh at him hiding from the beast. That was annoying.

"Who the hell are you?"

"The person who just saved your ass from getting dream-killed. It's not fun, believe me. I'm also formally known as Cordelia Chase, higher being." The woman, Cordelia, said with a smile.

Connor gave her a look like she was crazy. "Okay…"

"Yeah, yeah. Nice to meet you, yadda, yadda. Shall we cut to the Chase?" She grinned at her own pun and rolled her eyes when Connor didn't pick up on it. Tough crowd.

Connor folded his arms over his chest. He didn't like the way this was going, even if it was only a dream. "Sure."

"Great. So I have a message for you, you ready for this? 'Cause I don't like repeating myself. Okay, here goes: Sometimes it takes a while to find what's been lost. The Orlon Window will show what you were meant to be."

"Meaning…?"

She smiled at him, her whole face softening. "Sorry kiddo, I'm just the messenger this time."

"So you can't tell me anything useful?"

"Not yet. You'll figure it out when you're ready."

"Any idea when that will be?" Connor said agitated. What was the point in giving him riddles that he was never going to understand and then buggering off without telling him anything useful?

"Soon. You're doing good, Connor. Just like he hoped you would."

"Who's he?" She didn't answer him. "Let me guess, I'll find out when I'm ready?"

"You're catching on."

She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him briefly. This completely surprised Connor, so much so that he almost didn't realise how familiar it all felt. Who was she? He had a feeling he ought to know.

"Take care of yourself, kiddo." She whispered. And then she was gone leaving him with a million questions, and not a single answer.

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3:23am, 30th December

Buffy could barely make anything out. She was seeing everything through a green tint, like she was wearing a pair of those 3-D sunglasses that made everything look weird and funny coloured.

Words kept on coming to her, but still nothing made sense.

_Key… Destroyer… Key_

Was that Wes? What was he doing in her dream? Shouldn't he be helping Angel in L.A.? And what was that glowing boxy thing he was holding?

_The Orlon Window will show you._

The _what_ now?

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5:11am, 30th December

Giles sat up in bed with a start. He definitely heard something that time.

He lowered himself out of bed and quietly padded down the stairs, pausing only to pick up a fire poker from the study. He briefly considered waking Buffy, but decided against it. If it were anything serious he could just scream and she'd come running to help. The noise was coming from the kitchen… quietly does it… He peered around the door frame slowly, ready to fight if necessary.

Giles blinked blearily and lowered the poker he'd been ready to strike the 'intruder' with. He rubbed his eyes and blinked again. Nope, he wasn't dreaming.

"Buffy, what in heavens name are you doing?"

"Eating breakfast." She replied far too perkily for that hour. As if to demonstrate her point, Buffy ate a big spoonful of her Cheerios and waggled the spoon at Giles.

"It's five o'clock in the morning." He said through gritted teeth. He was not a slayer and could not get by on five hours sleep a night.

She shrugged. "I must still be on Rome time."

"You've been here for three weeks! And Rome is only an hour difference!"

Another shrug, another mouthful of cereal. "I was having weird dreams and couldn't get back to sleep. It didn't seem that early…"

"Maybe not to you." Giles muttered before resigning himself to yet another early morning research session. "What were the dreams about?"

Buffy shrugged. "I don't remember. It was freaky though."

Giles sighed. "In what way was it…freaky?"

"Well, for one thing Wes was there."

Giles raised one eyebrow. That really was freaky.

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7:48am, 30th December

Dawn rolled over and looked at the clock on her bedside table. After being plagued by dreams for the majority of the night, she had finally managed to get a few good hours sleep before breakfast. There were already the tell tale noises coming from below telling her that her father was awake, he never slept in, even during the school holidays.

After a quick shower, Dawn used a few charms to finish getting ready. She smiled slightly looking in the mirror; being of age certainly had its advantages. Dawn frowned at the shadows under her eyes, evidence to her restless night. What had those dreams meant? They didn't make any sense to her even though she'd spent half the night wondering about them. With a shake of her head Dawn got up and headed downstairs, vowing not to spend the day worrying about her dream. It was just a dream, it probably didn't mean anything after all.

"Ouch, bloody hell!"

As accomplished as her father was at potion making, cooking definitely wasn't one of his strong points. But then he'd never bothered to learn how to do it, relying on house elves for most of his life.

"You need a hand, Dad?" Dawn said with a grin as she walked into the kitchen.

After a moment to swallow his pride, Snape nodded. As she set about cooking breakfast, Severus eyed her wearily. "You're not going to make one of your weird concoctions are you?"

"Hhmpf. That's your fault anyway. You're the one who told me to make potions in the kitchen with food so it couldn't go kablooy."

"Kablooy? What kind of word is kablooy?" Snape smirked. It was good to be getting along with his daughter once more. Even if he couldn't understand half of what she said. Maybe sending her to school in America hadn't been the best course of action…

One mock glare later, Dawn placed a plate of eggs down next to her father and sat opposite him to eat her own breakfast, the weird dreams already forgotten.

He cast a sceptical glance at his daughter's breakfast and raised one eyebrow. "Must you have anchovies with everything you eat, Dawn?"

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8:15am, 30th December

Connor dragged himself out of bed unwillingly. He had not had the best nights sleep and all he wanted to do was curl up under the covers. But he wouldn't. If he was late for breakfast, then his father would want to know why. And Connor wasn't willing to tell him so he would be dressed and downstairs by nine o'clock sharp.

He went about the morning routine in the same way as always, grinning at Draco when they met in the hall and dropping a kiss onto his mother's cheek as they sat down at the breakfast table. Lucius Malfoy lowered the _Daily Prophet_ and nodded at his sons. One of the house elves- Jacko or Wacko or something- produced plates laden with bacon and eggs and apperated out without a word.

Connor had long gotten used to the silence at meal times. Unless Lucius decided to start a conversation then the only sound was the chink of the cutlery on the plates. This morning Connor was glad for the silence. It gave his time to think about his dream, about the Order and about what was happening between him and Dawn. There was so much going on in his life at the moment and just as he came to terms with one thing, something else happened.

He had just been getting over the betraying his father when he had to try to find acceptance with the Order of the Phoenix and having to deal with his feelings for his only real friend at Hogwarts being more than friendly. He hadn't had many friends in his life, certainly none that he trusted as much as he did Dawn, and he didn't wish to ruin that with his less than stellar dating record. He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't hear his father's question.

"Connor!" Lucius Malfoy did not like raising his voice, especially not at his sons. But Connor had been acting strangely for a while now. He'd been quieter than normal, not that he was ever chatty, and sometimes got this strange look in his eyes that Lucius didn't quite know what to make of. His wife had eased his worries to some extent; she easily put her son's behaviour down to being a teenager in love.

Lucius wasn't sure what to make of that. On one hand he was sure the girl in question was Dawn Snape having seen them at the station, and he approved of that match. Snape was only half-blood (but being one of Voldemort's most trusted brought him up a notch in Lucius' opinion), but the girl's mother had been a pure blood, a good Slytherin woman in whom Lucius himself had had a healthy interest in back in the day. On the other hand, the Dark Lord had big plans for his son and he couldn't afford any distractions and, like it or not, Dawn Snape was a distraction.

"Sorry, Father. I was thinking." Connor murmured.

Lucius eyed him harshly. "Are you not hungry, son?" He asked stiffly, gesturing to his plate.

_I'm not your son_, Connor wanted to shout but he refrained. "Not really sir."

"What were you thinking about." He didn't ask, he ordered.

"Nothing of any importance."

Lucius took another bite of toast and for a moment Connor hoped that he'd let it go. But he didn't. "How is Miss Snape?"

"Dawn? She's fine." Connor answered guardedly. He wasn't sure where his father was going with this and that made him uneasy.

"Good, that's good."

Draco watched the two of them in open curiosity. On the surface, Lucius was enquiring after his son's friend. But Lucius never asked after anyone without an ulterior motive. Connor knew this as well as he did, hence the guarded answers. Despite it being a good ten seconds since either of them had spoken, neither Connor nor Lucius had dropped eye contact. Uh-oh, something was going to happen. Draco caught his mother's eye and she nodded discretely before getting up soundlessly and leaving the room.

"May I be excused?" Draco asked, although he was already out of his seat when his father granted permission.

"Connor, you and Dawn Snape… are you involved?" Lucius asked as soon as his younger son was out of the room.

"We're good friends." Connor felt his cheeks flushing under his father's scrutiny so he drank from his orange juice to hide it.

"She's distracting you." Lucius said, not fooled in the least.

"I disagree." Connor said after a pause, not sure how his father would take to his disagreement.

To Connor's relief, Lucius didn't seem too fazed by it on this occasion. "See that she doesn't. We have big plans for you, my boy, big plans."

He didn't need to ask who 'we' was- it would be Voldemort- and that only made his opinion more set. "I assure you, Father, I've not lost sight of my goal."

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9:42am, 30th December

Connor knew that his brother was standing in his doorway before he said anything to announce his presence. Draco's lurking skills must be leaving him.

"What was all that about at breakfast?"

"Nothing." Connor said, not looking up from the book he was reading. There wasn't much to do in the Malfoy household, despite its size, so he got a lot of reading done during the holidays.

"Yeah right." Draco said, still not moving from his spot on the threshold. It was as if that now he realised that something wasn't quite right with his older brother he was afraid he would catch it. Connor was equally afraid that Draco wouldn't 'catch it'.

"He was just asking about school." Connor glanced up as he turned another page. Draco clearly wasn't buying it. "And Dawn."

"What about her?" He was interested despite himself. From eavesdropping around his father (a skill Draco mastered when he was still in short trousers) he had picked up that the Dark Lord had _something_ in mind for Dawn Snape- whether it was simply regarding her taking up the dark mark when she finished school or something more Draco didn't know, but he suspected that it was the latter.

"He feels that she might prove to be a distraction." He answered eventually.

Draco went into the room and shut the door behind him. "I'm guessing he's not talking about your school work."

Connor didn't answer.

"If Father finds out what you're up to then… Do you even have a clue what you're getting yourself into?" Draco hissed.

Connor looked his brother squarely in the eye. "Do you?"

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9:55am, 30th December

He had a body now. Not the most attractive body in the world, true, but it was better than the shell of a being he was before. Besides, Voldemort was quite pleased with the way he looked these days. Suitably scary red slits for eyes, skin as smooth as a snake's. Yes, it suited him quite well. Especially when he was smirking evilly like now.

"Lucius, get everything ready." He hissed. "I wish to meet with Pettigrew and the dementors now and the rest shall wait until tonight.

Lucius disappeared without a word. Voldemort gave him a few minutes to prepare and then touched a long, bony finger to a mark on his forearm.

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10:26am, 30th December

"You don't want to go down there."

Draco jumped, one foot poised over the stairs. "Shit Connor, you trying to give me a heart attack?"

He smirked, not moving from where he was leaning against the wall. "Not particularly."

"Why don't I want to go downstairs?"

The smirk faded as quickly as it had appeared. He pushed himself off the wall and walked into his room, knowing Draco would follow him. "Death Eater party. Invitation only. And it's a particularly…dark one- the life and _soul_ didn't really show."

Out of the corner of his eye, Connor saw Draco frown and pale slightly. They both knew what went on at these 'parties' and neither of them liked it.

"Fantastic. A little warning might have been nice." He always tried to go over to one of his friend's houses when the Death Eaters were present, even more so when there were dementors there. It was the muggles screaming in fear and pain he couldn't take. That was the worst part.

"There wasn't any. Father flooed over in a panic, trying to get everything ready a few minutes before everyone else showed up."

Draco sighed and flopped into one of the arm chairs. It was always the same. Voldemort came first every time and that was why Lucius was his right hand man, a position his sons were meant to take over one day.

"Is that the life you want?" Connor asked, quite lightly. "Having to drop everything just like that because someone tells you too?"

"It's what we were born to do, you know that. Father needed an heir to take over, that's no secret. You've had your whole life to get used to your sodding destiny. Get over it." Draco said harshly. He couldn't see why Connor was acting like this now; it had never been a problem before. Why did Connor have to stir everything up?

"I make my own destiny." Connor returned just as firmly.

"You wish. What happens when father finds out about your feelings? At best he'll shove you under the imperious curse before you can say 'Weird Sisters'."

"I'll take my chances." Connor said with far more confidence than Draco would have expected.

Connor had never been one for rash decision making; that had been Draco's forte. Anyone who had known the Malfoy brothers could tell you which one was the hot-headed brother and which one thought things through. It was this logic which made Draco think. He knew Connor would not have rushed into something like this without considering all of his options, without having a plan. And at that moment it became clear to Draco what that plan must be.

"You've got help, haven't you? You've bloody gone and joined sodding Dumbledore!"

"Quiet." Connor hissed, his eyes flashing, and reminding Draco just why people feared his brother.

"How could you do this to the family?"

Connor let out a hollow laugh. "Family? The Malfoy's are many things, but we're not a family. And Lucius Malfoy is not a father."

"Stop it." Draco muttered.

"Who was the one that taught you to ride a broom? Who looked out for you at Hogwarts? It was me, not him. Never him."

"Stop it." Draco repeated a little louder, a little less composed.

"Who watched you when you were teething? Not Mother and not Father. It was whatever House Elf was in favour that week. _I_ was the one who tried to make you smile, who tried to take you're mind off it. _I_ was the one who spent _hours_ trying to teach you to say my name properly. _I _held your hands when you learnt to walk, _I _showed you how to write your name. Not them. They've never been parents, Drake."

Draco glared at him. Forcing his face to stay stony even though his throat was tightening and all he wanted to do was kick something and cry. He knew what his family were like; he didn't need for Connor to point it out. It made it so much harder to ignore. "Stop."

"We look out for each other, Drake. That's the way it's always been." Connor said softly. He may want his brother to join him in the Order, but he didn't want to hurt him. "Think about it. I'm going out."

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10:55am, 30th December

Giles jumped when he looked at the clock in the library.

"Buffy! Willow! The port key leaves in five minutes! Get you bags and meet me in the study!" He said, closing the books in front of him. It was useless anyway, Buffy barely remembered any of her dream, which was odd as the slayer always remembered her dreams. He could always come back at a later date, but he did not want to miss this meeting with Dumbledore. Anyway, Giles was beginning to suspect that it was the three-course-meal Buffy had made herself upon returning from patrol that had been the cause of the dreams; nothing more sinister than cheesy fries and chocolate ice cream.

The next five minutes passed in a flurry of forgotten clothes and mislaid bags, but all three were standing in the study as instructed.

"Make sure you're holding your bags and place a finger on the port key." Giles said as he held out a cassette tape.

'Port key… port key…' Buffy frowned. What was she remembering. 'Port…key. Key.'

There was a sharp tug, and they disappeared.

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11:00am, 30th December

"They're here!"

As Willow, Buffy and Giles stepped out of the fireplace they were immediately surrounded by loads of redheads and the occasional brunette. Both Willow and Buffy took a step backwards as they were questioned on all sides about what it was like to be a wandless witch/ slayer. They weren't used to the, well, to having 'fans' and it was a little overwhelming even though Giles had warned them that they were something akin to heroes in this world.

Buffy nodded and answered the masses somewhat distractedly. Her mind was full of big thoughts of what she had remembered about the Key in her dream, which granted wasn't much. These people seemed to know everything about her, what she had fought and when, but they still had dozens of questions. One of the red-headed family (whose names she still hadn't remembered) had to be kept at bay by the bushy haired girl (Helena or something) whenever he got too tactless- he even asked her how it was to die.

The interrogation was broken up by Dumbledore. Buffy raised her eyes as Dumbledore made a few requests and everyone immediately hopped to them. If Snyder had ever demanded anything of any of the students he would not have commanded such obedience, nor would any of the teachers at Sunnydale. This guy must be pretty powerful to command such instant respect. Buffy decided she liked him- he gave off a Santa vibe (and not an evil Santa like the one Anya used to talk about).

As Dumbledore explained welcomed the newcomers, the rest of the group prepared lunch and, thanks to their magic, they were sitting down to a large meal within minutes. Buffy was sitting next to Hermione, a friend to the Weasley's. It took about thirty seconds for her to turn to the slayer.

"Miss Summers, do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"

"No, of course not, as long as you call me Buffy." She agreed. She'd already answered about a million questions, what harm could a few more do?

It wasn't until almost an hour later when Hermione was still interrogating her that Buffy realised her mistake.

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11:44am, 30th December

Connor shoved his hands deep in his pockets. Why had he come to Diagon Alley just a few short days after Christmas when all the sales were starting? There were teen-witches rushing here and there, looking for items they could afford with their pocket money. The house-witches were looking for bargains, many of them floating heavy looks bags behind them. It was bedlam. He was somewhat relieved when he saw the turnoff for Knockturn Alley- anything to get away from the crowds.

He looked in all the shop windows idly- he wasn't intending to buy anything, especially anything from around here. At least he'd left the busy streets behind him and he could mooch along and brood in peace.

Or not.

The troll (or giant or whatever it was) came out of nowhere, well obviously not, but it always seems to be that way. It wasn't your typical wizard, at least twelve foot tall and with wide stooping shoulders. His feet dragged behind him, the sound echoing in the dim streets and he gave out little grunts with each step. All in all, not the sort of…thing you want to start a fight with.

But Connor was in a bad mood and not really thinking straight.

"Move." The troll (presumably) grunted, sweeping Connor aside with a sweep of his rock hard hand.

He almost stumbled, but managed to just about keep his balance. "Watch it!" Connor exclaimed angrily. It wasn't bad enough that he'd be jostled by all the witched in Diagon Alley, now he was shoved by this oaf?

The 'oaf' smirked at him and for a moment Connor thought he'd been baited, but what would be the point in that? "I was hoping you'd say that."

The troll lifted one arm high above his head and brought it down with surprising speed considering the slow pace at which he'd been moving earlier. He caught Connor square in his middle, all the breath leaving the wizard at the force of the blow. Connor felt his feet involuntarily lift off the ground, higher, higher, until he smacked into the brick wall behind him, his head ricocheting off the hard surface. Then he was falling the ten-or-so feet the troll had managed to throw him back to the hard earth.

He lay there for a minute. The troll was gone. His head was pounding. And his stomach and lungs and back and just about everything really.

"Are you dead?" A strange voice asked.

Connor couldn't help but think what a stupid question that was. He groaned as he pulled himself up onto all fours. "Yes."

"Bloody hell!" The stranger seemed surprised. He'd obviously thought the boy would never survive.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Connor said dryly. He stood up, moving his neck experimentally. Nothing seemed to be damaged.

"Sorry…it's just there's a lot of blood."

Connor looked around him. Sure enough there was a small pool of blood where he'd landed and if his shirt wasn't black, he was sure that he'd be able to see the stains on that too. "Oh shit."

"Why aren't you dead?" The bloke asked- he seemed genuinely impressed.

"I have no idea." Connor was just bewildered. "I feel fine. Well, I've had better days, but I don't get it."

"I work at Wolfram and Hart." The stranger said, pointing to the brightest looking building in the street. "I'm sure we can patch you up and call someone if you want."

"Uh sure." Connor said. He recognised the name, his father was a client of theirs and, though he wasn't sure he wanted them to contact Lucius, he could do with a new shirt and a tidy up. "Lead the way."

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12:11pm, 30th December

Connor looked in the mirror in the Wolfram and Hart restrooms. To be honest, he was feeling perfectly fine now, though he still looked a state. He put on the new robe the woman on reception had given him and cast a cleaning charm on his hair to get rid of the blood. That was better.

When he stepped outside, there was a broad shouldered man waiting for him.

"Hello, Connor." He said pleasantly, though it seemed forced.

"Err hi. Thanks for the robe."

He waved it off. "Not a problem. I'd like to introduce myself. I'm Grayson; I'm the senior liaison here. Now, shall we get to the issue at hand? Someone tried to kill you Connor."

Connor was surprised at the matter of fact delivery. "What?"

"We've been monitoring you for quite some time now, at your father's request." Grayson said, easily 'forgetting' to mention that the father who'd been asking for updates wasn't Lucius but one whom Connor had completely forgotten about. "But it seems we weren't the only ones. A demon by the name of Cyvus Vail has had a trail on you for a few weeks. Today was the first time you stepped out from magical protection for him to do anything."

"What…I don't get it." Connor said blankly. Why would a demon have a trail on him? "Why are you telling me this?"

"Your father is a special case." Grayson said carefully.

"He's a special client of yours?"

"Something like that." Once again Grayson avoided the question. "As to why they're after you, well, you seem like an intelligent boy. You know that you shouldn't have been able to walk away from an…accident like the one you've just had. You much have noticed other things, you can see in total darkness, you can hear the quietest of whisper, smell the faintest scent…sound familiar?"

Connor nodded slowly, guardedly.

"You put it down to good genetics, or luck, or possibly even a spell. But it's not. You're special."

"You're saying I have some sort of…" Connor trailed off, unsure of how to finish the sentence.

"Enhanced abilities." Grayson confirmed with a nod. "No one knows why, know one knows how, but here you are."

"Ok." Connor said, he'd had enough of this. "Thanks for the robe, but I really think I should be going. And if you could not mention this to Lucius, my father, then that would be really helpful."

"You walk out that door and Vail will come after you and your family until he gets what he wants. Do you think your brother could protect himself when that happens?" Grayson said with a smirk. He knew the boy wouldn't leave. He had the same moral righteousness that his real father had.

Connor froze. Eventually he turned back to the 'senior liaison'. He wouldn't put Draco in danger just because this bloke gave him the creeps. "What does he want?"

"That's not exactly our area." Grayson lead Connor through a set of double doors and up some stairs. "We'll have to consult our L.A. branch…"

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2:15pm _(or 6.15am Yank time)_, 30th December

Angel watched Illyria, keeping one eye on Wes who was watching her also. One again he forcefully reminded himself that this wasn't Fred, this was a demon, but it was difficult to look past the shell. If he was finding it hard, Wes must be finding it near impossible. Hence why he was in so early in the morning. Angel regularly kept odd hours, he was a creature of the night after all, but Wes had a tendency to stick to bankers' hours. Unless something major was happening. Like one of their friends being turned into a something-or-other.

"I'll send Spike to carry out the tests."

"Good." Wes nodded. Illyria would not be able to break Spike easily. He watched her look around the room, everything so alien to her. "She doesn't understand our world. She needs someone to guide her. She needs-"

"When was the last time you slept?" Angel asked, worried about one of his few remaining friends. "You're not her saviour, Wes, Fred's dead and she's not coming back. But you're alive; you should start acting like it. Look, we need you working. There's a referral coming from the London branch, I don't know any more than that. Think you can handle it?"

Wes tore his gaze away from Illyria for a moment. He nodded, seemingly enough to satisfy Angel as he walked out leaving Wes with the ancient goddess in Fred's body.

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1:32pm, 30th December

Buffy didn't have a chance to tell Willow and Giles what she had remembered about the dream until long after lunch, everyone had been demanding stories or introducing themselves. It was weird to be famous just because she stayed alive- something her and Harry had in common- but the recognition was kinda nice.

She finally managed to get Willow away from the fans as they unpacked their things and dragged her into what would be Giles' room.

"Is everything okay?" He immediately asked when he saw Buffy come in and shut the door securely behind them.

She nodded. "I remembered something about my dream."

Giles nodded for her to continue, still not entirely sure that the dream was prophetic but knowing to trust Buffy's instincts.

"I don't know what exactly, but there was a key and it was important."

"A key? Like to a door?" Willow asked.

"Not a key as in the metal thing, a key in 'open sesame' way." Buffy sort-of-explained. Amazingly Giles seemed to get it.

"Do you remember anything about this key? What did it do?"

She shrugged. "Maybe I'll remember more later, but right now all I know was that it was green and powerful."

Giles sighed. "I don't know that there's anything we can do right now, Buffy. Your dream's vague at best, and I honestly don't have the foggiest what we're looking for. If you have any more dreams, we should hopefully know where to start, but for now…"

"It's like looking for a needle in a field full of haystacks. I get it Giles." Buffy said dejectedly. It wasn't often her dreams were so unclear and she didn't like it one bit. Something about it didn't sit right and it was making her uneasy.

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Okay- Part 2 coming soon. Until then, please review!


	7. One Day, Pt 2

**A/N:** Sorry about the delay. My laptop literally fried itself. Until I can afford a new one, I'm writing scenes, or I should say _rewriting_ scenes since I lost everything, on my sister's computer when she's not using it. On the up side, I've had a couple of requests for inserting Illyria into the fic, so I hope her scenes, very short though they may be, will make some people happy.

There's quite a lot of this taken from the Angel S5 episode 'Origin'. I got the scrip from Twiz TV.

_**Question:**__ Am I right in thinking that LA is 8hrs behind London? If anyone who knows could tell me then that would be really helpful._

**Deliver Me From Evil by Kiara**

**PART SIX B- ONE DAY, PART 2**

3:45pm _(Brit time)_, 30th December  
7.45am _(LA time)_, 30th December

Wesley looked in through his office window at the teen sitting inside. He looked wholly unremarkable, but that meant nothing. This was proved by the way the boy turned to look directly at Wes despite the fact that there was one-way glass between them. The London branch had been right, there was something different about this kid.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. Malfoy." Wes muttered, making sure to close the office door behind him. You never knew who was listening in and he knew enough about the company to know that the Malfoy's were pretty big clients.

"Connor," the boy replied easily, not seeming all that perturbed by the situation he found himself in. Or at least hiding it well. "And don't worry about it; it might be mid-afternoon my time, but I know it's pretty early here. I snacked on some dried scorpions from the vending machine downstairs."

Wesley gave him a look. With the clients he got, creepy-crawly snack food was always a possibility.

"I'm joking." Connor confirmed. "Who eats scorpions anyway?"

"We have some unusual clients. Demons mainly." Wes revealed.

"Huh." Connor supposed he should have been surprised, but he wasn't. Something about this whole situation felt normal, felt like he should be kicking himself by not figuring it out earlier. It was hard to explain. Everything he was told seemed familiar, it made his brain go 'oh, of course' as if he'd know it all along. But logically this was impossible. Magically, who knew?

Wes didn't pause to consider Connor's easy acceptance of their demonic client base, although the boy was a wizard, he would have expected something a little more akin to shock or horror. He filed it away in his brain to think about it later.

"The London branch explained to you about Cyvus Vail?"

"Evil guy who wants me dead? Yeah, it came up. What they didn't say was _why_ he wants to kill me." Connor said, fixed Wes with that steely Malfoy gaze which just demanded answers.

Wes' opinion of him raised a couple of notches. Something odd was happening, and he was taking it all in his stride without issue or complaint. He stood up, indicating for Connor to follow him as he left his office and made his way to the lobby. "That's what we intend to find out. Let me introduce you to our CEO. I believe he's had some dealings with Cyvus Vail in the past."

"Dealings?" Connor said sceptically, but Wes was already approaching a man over the other side of the room.

"Angel, this is the England referral, Connor Malfoy. I though we could-"

The man, Angel, turned around and froze upon seeing Connor. When Wes prompted him, he blinked a few times and shook his head to clear it. He gave Connor one last, almost wistful, look. Angel sighed. "No."

"What?"

"I'm sorry, there must be some mistake. We can't help you." Angel walked away.

Wes gaped as his friend? Boss? Whoever, walked away from them. "Wait here," he instructed Connor, following Angel before the boy could protest about being ditched in a law firm's lobby.

"Angel, wait-"

The vampire paced the length of the random room, the first empty one he'd come across, the anger radiating from him. How could they send him here? Showing him what he could never have, what he'd given up. "Why'd they send him to us?"

"He's special. A troll attacked him and he survived without a scratch."

"We're not taking this case." Angel said, really meaning that he already knew why that was and he didn't want anyone else to figure it out. Otherwise it would all be for nothing.

"Why not?"

"Because with everything else going on, we don't have time to deal with small stuff like this."

"Small stuff? This is what we do, or what we're supposed to do." Wes protested. He didn't understand why Angel was so against taking this referral. It was making him a bit suspicious. "He seems like a good kid."

Angel ignored the swell of pride at that last comment (closely followed by sadness and regret). "All the more reason to get him out of here. We know what this place does to good people."

"If we don't help him, then he's dead. Cyvus Vail is after him."

Angel stopped still. "What?"

Wes started to explain what he knew, noting that Angel was getting progressively more tense. "The England branch sent him here for a reason Angel, we have to help him."

Angel stopped pacing, fixing Wes with a glare eerily reminiscent of his evil days. "Fine. I'll handle it."

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4:08pm- London / 8:08am- LA, 30th December

Angel resumed his pacing in his office. Connor was here. His son, whom clearly had no recollection of him, was standing in the lobby of his law firm. His EVIL law firm which specialised in all things DEMONIC. Wolfram and Hart had promised him a normal life. A life without evil, demons and, most specifically, evil demons! Why was he here? Well, someone was trying to kill him.

Angel paused for a moment. Someone was trying to kill Connor. Someone was trying to kill his son. How dare they try to kill _his son_! That was (one of the) very reasons why he'd given Connor up in the first place, to keep him safe from this life. But of course Wolfram and Hart had Wolfram-and-Hart-ed it up and now Connor was here at the centre of all evil. Or one of them anyway.

"_What the hell is going on?" _Angel yelled the minute he sensed his liaison enter the office.

"Angel? I'm at your disposal." Hamilton said far too calmly for the vampire's liking. He obviously knew exactly what was going on. That was his damn job.

"My son walks in through my door!"

"And you ask him to leave without even finding out why he's here. I found that interesting."

"I want him as far away from here as possible! I'll kill Vail, but I want Connor gone…now!"

"Yes. But it might have been smart to get some information out of him first. It could help us understand what's happening. Or rather, _why_ it's happening."

Angel, having had enough of the cryptic crap, got right up in Hamilton's face. This was his son. He had a right to know what was going on, and the Senior Partners clearly knew. "Tell you what. Why don't you just tell me?"

"Let's be clear about this. Things run differently now. I'm not a little girl. You and I won't be making love on this couch any time soon." There was an edge to his voice as he stepped back. Hamilton was not like Eve; he was dangerous. "Now, with that in mind, how can I help you?"

Angel, calming down slightly, closed his office door. He most definitely did not want Wes or Spike or anyone overhearing this. "The senior partners and I had a deal."

Hamilton nodded amicably. "Yes, you did. They took your son—your raging psychopathic son—gave him a new family, changed his memories, changed everyone's memories, actually, in order to give him a new life, a normal life."

"And I came to work here!" Angel still wasn't too happy about that last part.

"And we couldn't be happier. The senior partners honour their deals. And believe me, they have no desire to upset such a...profitable partnership."

Angel snorted. He didn't buy that for a second. "So this is just a... an unfortunate coincidence. You expect me to believe that Cyvus Vail wants my son dead, and it has nothing to do with me?"

"Oh, no, I didn't say that. I said the senior partners weren't behind it. This isn't an accident. Someone out there's trying to send you a message... and they're using your son to do it."

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5:31pm/ 9:31am, 30th December

"What's going on?"

Wes ignored the question, still puzzling over Angel's reaction. Why would he refuse to help Connor? It didn't make sense.

Connor rolled his eyes. Wasn't he meant to be the client here? Shouldn't they be bending over backwards to keep him happy? Not staring off into space and ignoring his questions. He turned his attention back to the group of somethings arguing over the other side of the lobby. He'd noticed them, well who wouldn't notice a cluster of distinctly non-humans screaming at each other in a law firm's vestibule? Connor winced as a particularly shrill scream was let out.

"What's going on here?"

"They've been yelling at each other on and off for that last fifteen minutes." Connor offered, not tearing his eyes off the argument, which was getting progressively more heated.

Wes seemed to notice the ugly direction it was taking. He sighed wearily and went over to try and prevent an all out war in the lobby. They'd just had it redecorated after all.

Connor had an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. As far as he knew Wes was human. Should he really be taking on a bunch of irate demons? Apparently not. One of the demons, whom Connor had nicknamed 'scaly' for aesthetic reasons, finally gave into the urge to throw a punch at 'teeth', christened such by Connor due to the rabbit-like choppers poking over his upper lip. 'Scaly's' hand had quite literally been twitching at his side for the last few minutes so the final blow came as no surprise to Connor, nor to Wes who smoothly stepped in the path, blocking the punch with his arm. A lawyer able to get in between demon fights? That was something different. Not for the first time, Connor wondered how much more there was to Wes. He didn't have time to think for long, as the fight escalated in the same way one might in a school playground, complete with baying spectators standing round the edge, with Wes caught in the middle.

"Hey! Get off him!" Connor ran over, grabbing the demon holding Wes and pulling him back with a little more force than he intended. A little more meaning that the demon went flying across the room. The wizard looked at his hands in shock. "Whoa!"

What was with him today? Was he just some big freak of nature? Connor took a step back, moving away from the demon who had just gotten back up and was advancing on him. Now what?

As Connor resigned himself to, at the very best, adding another bruise to his collection, the guy from earlier, Angel, tackled the demon to the ground. As two of his buddies leapt at the vampire, Angel took on the both of them in an impressive display of punches and kicks. Upon taking a rather hard foot to the gut, one of them rolled away, apparently deciding that it wasn't worth the effort. Angel easily lifted the one remaining demon over his head, before letting it slam to the ground. Then it was over. The few lawyers, clients and passers by who had stopped to watch the fight went back on their way, noting nothing particularly unusual about the brawl in the lobby.

Except for one. "Oh. Bloody. Hell."

Angel turned nervously to his son. "Connor, listen to me-"

"You almost tore that guy in half!" He said in shock. He'd never seen anything like it before. Was he capable of that? He had thrown that guy across the room which, he had to admit, was pretty damn cool. He grinned. "That was amazing! Seriously, that was the coolest thing I've ever seen."

Angel grinned. His son thought he was cool! "Well it's not a big deal. I mean, I do stuff like that a lot. There was this one time-"

"Is everyone alright?" Wes walked over, not knowing the bondy moment he was interrupting.

The sight of Wes brought reality crashing down on Angel once again. "Uh, yeah. You and I have some things we should probably talk about."

Connor looked around at the lobby which just a few moments ago have been the scene of mayhem. "Yeah. I kinda figured. So what were those things?"

"Some kind of demon. I'll look into it."

"Is that what I am?" Connor asked hesitantly, not sure if he wanted to hear the answer. "Some kind of demon?"

"No."

"Then what am I?"

"Best we can tell," Angel said, choosing his words carefully. "You're a healthy, well-adjusted kid with, uh, enhanced abilities."

"And you're a vampire?" Connor said, recalling what Wes had told him earlier. He tried to suppress his 'vampires bad' mentality that he'd learnt at Hogwarts. This was a different world than the one he was used to, one that, in a way, made more sense. The good guys were the good guys, the bad guys weren't your father. It was simpler- at least on the surface. "So, vampires, demons, lawyers… and I have some kind of super-powers? Okay."

Angel laughed as his non-son literally shrugged off the revelation. "You're taking this pretty well."

"What am I supposed to do, complain? I don't even want to think about how I'm going to explain this to my parents." Connor said with a wince. He doubted that this would figure into to Lucius' pure-blood mentality. "Have you got family?"

"No."

"Right, you're a vampire." Connor didn't notice the short tone. "So what are you, like five hundred years old?"

"No, I'm about- Do I look five hundred?"

Connor smirked at the vampire's affronted expression. "So do you spend all your time making out with other vampires?"

"No. Uh—I used to, but... "

"You have a girlfriend at least?" Connor asked with interest as Angel led him down another corridor.

"Can't afford to. "

"Must be lonely. "

"I keep busy. " Angel said with a shrug. He hadn't had this conversation in years, people had just come to accept that it was better (WAY better) if he didn't get involved with women. Though for Connor, he'd answer all the awkward and painful questions in the world.

"So you guys, like, fight crime and save the world here, that sort of stuff?"

"Well, that's the idea."

"Wow. Is everyone here a superhero? This place must be insane."

"It's mostly paralegals and secretaries. Pretty boring, really." As if to dispute this fact, a screaming blond man was thrown through a set of heavy looking wooden doors to land at their feet.

"You filthy harlot!" A clipboard was tossed out, landing next to him on the floor. "I'm gonna tear your neck out!"

Angel sighed as the blond charged back into the room. "You wanna meet some of my co-workers?"

Connor agreed readily, his curiosity peaked, and followed Angel into the room where a kinda hot looking blue woman was standing on the blonde's head. "What is she?"

"She's a…to be honest, I really don't know. She's some sort of ancient demon." Angel said, without taking his eyes off Illyria.

"She have any powers?"

"Glad you asked." The blond said, revealing a strong British accent. He picked up his clipboard off the floor and flipped through the pages as he spoke. "So far, I've established that she can hit like a Mack truck, selectively alter the flow of time and, uh, possibly talk to plants."

"I'd like to keep Spike as my pet." Illyria chipped in, still not paying any attention to the stranger in the room.

Angel ignored her. "Connor, this is Spike and Illyria. Guys, this is Connor."

Connor gave them an awkward grin. This woman was just standing on 'Spike's' head (and what kind of name was that?) and he'd put money on her being the one to throw him through the doors. At least Angel looked kinda threatening. Aside from the kinky outfit, this girl looked like you could snap her in half. "Hi."

Illyria finally turned her attention onto him. Her eyes narrowed as she looked him over critically. "You have magic."

"Uh, yeah. I'm a wizard."

"A wand waver?" Spike asked warily. "You got your pointy stick on you?"

"Your minuscule droplets of magic are of no consequence to me." Illyria proclaimed condescendingly, but still assessing him. "The magic of another clings to your flesh."

"Okay!" Angel interrupted, not entirely sure he liked where this conversation was heading. "Connor has brought us a case. We're looking into it, just showing him around."

"Hey, you kids playing in the training room?" A voice called out. Connor turned around to see a, no joke, lime green guy dressed in a bright yellow suit with honest-to-god devil horns poking out of his head.

"Whoa! This place is better than Hogwarts!"

Lorne gave his an odd look. "Yeah, Ange-babe, Wes is requesting your presence upstairs. Has a little demon info for your peepers."

"It was nice to meet you." Connor lied smoothly, as his father had taught him to, as he followed Angel out the room and along more identical Wolfram and Hart corridors.

"So… Hogwarts." Angel started once the silence became unbearable.

"Yeah."

"How's that working out for you?"

"Okay." Connor offered with a shrug. "I graduate this year."

"And then what?"

Connor shrugged again. "Possibly university. There's a wizarding college in Ireland."

Angel looked up in interest. "Really?"

"Yeah, in Mayo."

"I'm from Galway…originally."

"Huh. Cool."

Angel had a smile on his face as they walked the rest of the way to Wes' office. It quickly faded though, as Wes brought up the matter of the demons trying to kill his son.

"What do we know about Vail?"

"He's powerful. Heads up a large demon empire, has tendrils stretching throughout L.A. "

"Tendril-tendrils?" Angel asked with a worried look, one that was mirrored by Connor as he realised Angel wasn't joking. Tendrils were apparently a real possibility.

"Metaphor-tendrils." Lorne confirmed, to the relief of his boss.

"What does he want with me?" Connor asked, still not to happy to hear about the metaphoric tendrils. As a Malfoy, he knew just how far the right connections could get you.

Wesley shrugged, not really knowing the answer. "He attacked you in the middle of London in broad daylight. He's not trying to remain anonymous. Angel, where are you going?"

"To go visit Mr. Vail."

Connor got to his feet. "I'll come with."

"No." Angel all but growled. "You wait here."

"Angel," Wes begun, trying to appeal to the vampires, somewhat limited, rational side. "We hardly know anything about this man, if he's trying to bait you-"

"It's not up for discussion." Angel interrupted with a glare. He was happy to 'pull rank' if necessary.

"At least take backup-"

"I said I'd take care of it, Wes. Drop it!"

With that Angel left, making an exit any member of the Scourge of Europe would have been proud off. Of the remaining occupants of the room, Connor and Lorne exchanged uncomfortable, awkward smiles, and Wes just looked confused. It was not like Angel to be this unreasonable. He dimly acknowledged Lorne as he offered to take Connor to the cafeteria. Why would Angel go into a situation blind and on his own, especially on a case he hadn't wanted in the first place. Something else had to be going on. Something he didn't know about. He pushed one of the speed-dial buttons on his phone.

"Get me everything you can find on Cyvus Vail."

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5:30pm, 30th December

The fireplace flared green and Snape rolled out, his daughter not far behind him. Sirius, who was sitting at the kitchen table, frowned when he saw who it was.

"Snape's here." He growled, already on his way out of the room.

Snape glared at him, but refrained from making an actual insult. He was a fan of sparing other people's feelings. He ushered his daughter into the living room where Dumbledore was sitting talking to a group of people he didn't recognise. This must be the slayer and her friends. He hadn't been expecting someone so small, but knew from experience that looks could be deceiving.

"Ah Severus," Dumbledore said when he saw them. "I'd like to introduce you Rupert Giles, his slayer Buffy Summers and Willow Rosenberg. They'll be the one's helping us with the latest little problem."

He nodded courteously. He was pretty sure that he wasn't going to like these people, but they hadn't done anything to offend him just yet so he could be tolerant. Sort of.

"And this' Professor Snape's daughter, Dawn."

"Hello." Giles said kindly. Dawn Snape gave off a good vibe- unlike her father.

"Nice to meet you." Willow said, looking over the girl critically. Something was off about her aura, but she couldn't quite make out what it was- that had never really been her forte and whatever was wrong was so subtle that a less powerful witch would never pick up on it.

"Yeah." Buffy smiled. She'd taken an instant liking to this girl for some reason and had to admit to being a little worried about what she was doing in the Order- what was Dumbledore thinking letting children in?

"Nice to meet you too." Dawn said, but her voice was odd to the visitors purely because there was none of the awe that everyone else spoke with. Her gaze was curious, much like the others, but her curiosity seemed deeper.

Dawn couldn't understand the strange feeling that she felt around these people, like an instant bond although they had only just met. She immediately felt safe, like she could trust them even though they had done nothing to merit that trust.

Something felt very right, and that in itself was not right.

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5:57pm/ 9:57am, 30th December

At first look, it could be a bizarre combination of a scene from a bad horror film, crossed with a hospital drama, set in a country mansion. The room itself was well decorated, with expensive mahogany furniture and dark wallpaper. It reeked of wealth and exclusivity. A large, ornate chair sat in the centre of the room. That's where things got messed up. A man, if you could call him that, with skin of the deepest red and thin, limp white hair sat in the chair, hooked up to oxygen tubes. He was obviously waiting for something. The silence, which was previously only broken by his wheezing breath, was interrupted when the limp body of a demon was thrown through the doors. Followed by a souled-vampire looking for blood.

Vail wheezed, looking at the demon on the floor. "Did you kill all my guards?"

"All the ones I could fine." Angel answered unapologetically.

"I should have given them the day off." He mused, turning a knob on one of his IV drips. "I wasn't trying to kill your son, you know. I simply need him to understand what he is capable of."

"How do you know about Connor?" There was a dangerous lilt in his voice, one that Vail ignored.

"I built him." Vail shifted in his seat. "Could you help me up? I'd have one of my guards do it, but, well, you know…"

Angel obliged, pulling Vail to his feet. He'd barely wheezed out a 'thank you' before Angel ripped the oxygen tubes from Vail's face and pushed him back into the seat he'd just got out of.

"When Connor was five," Vail started, struggling to get his worlds out while Angel squeezed his throat, "he had his first display of accidental magic. He set his bed covers on fire. It scared the poor child nearly half to death."

"That never happened!" Angel said angrily, not relaxing his hold.

"Yes…but he remembers it happening." Vail swallowed as Angel released him. He fought the urge to smile as the vampire reacted just as he expected. "He remembers screaming in his bedroom. He remembers one of the servant's teleporting him to his mother. And he remembers his parent's pride as he'd used his magic for the very first time."

"You built his memories."

"I did. He is some of my finest work." Vail boasted, not caring that Angel looked as if he was going to kill him any second.

"What. Do. You. Want?"

"I need someone dead. A demon named Sahjahn. I believe you tussled with him before. He's a nasty little cur!" Vail struggled to his feet, towing an IV pole behind him.

"He's gone." Angel said flatly. He knew he was being played; Vail wasn't exactly being subtle about it and, at least until Vail showed his hand, there was nothing Angel could do about it." "I trapped him in a bottle."

"An urn actually." Vail said. He opened a cabinet to reveal the urn sitting on the shelf. "It's a morbid thing. Doesn't really go with my décor."

"He's trapped." Angel growled. "Let him rot."

"Urns tend to break. Long lost enemies tend to return. I need finality to my affairs. Do you know what an Orlon Window is, Angel?" Vail conjured a glowing yellow cube into his open palm. As he looked at it, the light glowed and moved about within its confines. "It's a fascinating little spell. It allows warlocks such as myself to see the past as it once was. You have to be careful with it, though. If it were to break around someone whose mind had been altered, then all his old memories would come rushing back."

Angel glared, covering for a deep fear that spread through him as if he'd been dropped in a pool of ice water. He'd given up so much to get this life for Connor, risked all of his friends… It couldn't end now. He started forward, intent on taking the cube, but Vail made the cube vanish into thin air as he wheezed and fell into his chair.

"Careful, Angel!" Angel wanted to smack the smug look right off his face. "I gave Connor his happy life. Are you certain you can kill me before I can take it away from him? I am not the sort of man you want as an enemy."

"Fine. I'll do it. I'll kill Sahjahn."

Vail immediately dismissed him. "If it were that simple, I'd do it myself. No, the prophecy is quite clear. There is only one person who can kill Sahjahn."

"Connor." Angel realised with horror. After everything he'd done to keep him safe…

"So you see our problem. I turned your son into a healthy boy. And now, I need you…" Vail smirked cruelly, "to turn him back into a killer."

_To be continued in Part 3_

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**A/N:** Part 3 of this (stupidly, ridiculously long) chapter was complete, but now the laptop's caput, it's gone forever (along with everything else for this fic). I'll be rewriting it in the moments when I can beg, borrow or steal another computer. It might be a long wait folks- sorry but it can't be helped.


	8. One Day, Pt 3

THE KEY'S VESSEL by Kiara

There's quite a lot of this taken from the Angel S5 episode 'Origin'. I got the scrip from Twiz TV.

**Deliver Me From Evil by Kiara**

**PART SIX C- ONE DAY, PART 3 **_aka- the Day that never ends_

6:24pm/ 10:24am, 30th December

Harmony handed a pile of folders to Wesley. "These are everything the clerk had on Vail and this…" she stepped aside to reveal Illyria standing next to her, "was down wandering around human resources."

"Spike is resting." Illyria intoned.

"Thank you, Harmony."

Harmony left, leaving an ancient God king, lime green demon and former-watcher in the office. It was an odd crowd, but certainly not the oddest Wolfram and Hart had seen. The trio sat in Wes' office, a dim glow illuminating from a lamp on the desk. The atmosphere was tense, as it had been for most of the day. It had taken a long time for the former- Angel Investigations crew to come to terms with the new dynamic of working at Wolfram and Hart. They had a boss other than Angel in 'the partners', one that kept secret and played to its own agenda. It affected all of them in one way or another, they weren't as close as they once were and, in a way, they were like mini-celebrities. People whispered and pointed as they walked the halls, they each had several underlings to do the menial tasks they used to do themselves. Now Angel was acting differently, even more so than usual. He was keeping something from them, and treating them like common employees. Wes didn't like it.

Lorne read through one of the files. "Here we go. Vail listings under 'accounts paid'."

"Wolfram and Hart did business with him?"

"Yeah. Looks like he was one of their go-to warlocks when it came to the magical mojo. Specialized in memory reconstructing, mind control, temporal shifts… Oh boy, you could buy Bolivia for what we paid him on this one."

Wes took the folder and scanned its contents, a knot growing in the pit of his stomach. He just knew he was onto something now. "Not just him. He supervised some of the most powerful sorcerers on the west coast."

"Manpower like that, I'm guessing he wasn't doing card tricks."

"Some sort of temporal shift," Wes mused, "and it- Oh…"

"What?" Lorne took the folder back as Wes broke off; looking to find what had stopped him in his tracks. "It happened on the day we took over Wolfram and Hart."

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7:14pm/ 11:14pm, 30th December  
  
"He wants me to kill somebody!?" Connor exclaimed, but he reconciled with the idea quicker than the average person might have. Connor wasn't average. Connor happened to have a father who began teaching him unforgivable curses before he'd mastered a levitation charm. Lucius had been grooming him as a Death Eater, a murderer, since birth.

"A demon named Sahjahn. We've fought him before." Angel moved round the other side of his desk, getting closer to Connor to see his reactions.

"Why me? Why do I have to do it?" Was Lucius testing him?

"Because you're special." Angel said gently. "There's a prophecy that says you're the only one who can kill him"

Wes frowned. Surely Angel could not be considering this? "Why are we even entertaining this?"

"Vail's made some convincing threats." No one missed the glance Angel sent Connor.

"He's threatening my family, my brother, right?" Connor said dully. As awful as it sounded, threats against his parents didn't bother him even half as much as threats against his brother.

Wes shook his head. "We can't trust anything from Vail. Angel, he did a massive spell the day we took over Wolfram & Hart. Until we understand why-"

"-Is he pretty strong, this Sahjahn?" Connor interrupted.

"That's a bit of an understatement." Wes said quickly, seeing Angel was about to talk and not trusting him to be honest at this point. "Last time you fought him, Sahjahn nearly killed you."

"Is that true?"

"This is different." Angel met Connor's gaze, hoping that he would believe him. If he didn't then everything would change and it would have all been for nothing. "Like I said, you're special."

"We don't have a choice, do we?" Connor had made his decision the moment he'd known his little brother was at risk.

"Of course we have a choice. We jest need time to figure out what Vail did."

Angel didn't meet Wes or Connor's eyes. When he spoke, it was obvious to all around that he didn't like the decision. "We don't have time."

"If I kill Sahjahn, Vail will leave my family alone?" Angel nodded and, after a millisecond to think it over, Connor stood up. "What are we waiting for?"

Angel spared a glance at Wes before following Connor into the training room Spike and Illyria had been using earlier. He'd known Wes long enough to know that when he wasn't happy with something, like this, he wouldn't just let it drop. He hoped that the former-watcher wouldn't find anything, but at the moment he had to focus on Connor or he wouldn't survive.

"You're not alone in this."

"You gonna hold Sahjahn down while I kill him?"

"Prophecy doesn't say you can't have a little help."

"Hardly seems fair." Death Eaters aside, wizards usually had a fairly strict sense of honour. There were rules to be followed in duels and for the most part, they were followed.

"Fair's not something we worry about."

"Maybe you should. If I'm going to do this, you've got to let me do it my way." Connor started pacing the room. "Now I've just got to figure out what that is."

"You'll have your whole life for that."

"Might as well start now." Connor insisted.

"All right. Let me show you a few things."

"Well. yeah. I might have honour, but I'm not stupid. I know magic won't work on this guy and I've never been one for muggle brawls." Connor looked at the weapons that lined the walls. His hands itched to take one. "Should I take one of these with me? An axe, or whatever this thing is…" 'This thing' dropped to the floor as Connor knocked it. He shrugged sheepishly. "Sorry."

Angel picked up the weapon and tossed it into the corner, far, far, _far_ away from Connor. While he was glad that his son had never needed to learn to fight, the vampire part of him was a bit disappointed. "That's okay. Probably best to stay away from the weapons for now."

"Okay. Sorry."

So now can the difficult part: imparting knowledge onto his son. Something he had to do right, or else Connor wouldn't live through the fight. They didn't have much time. They would have to focus on the strengths Connor already had. "Look, you're faster than Sahjahn- use it. He talks a lot, he'll try to lull you into slowing down. Don't listen. Hit him quick and keep moving."

"Do you really think I can do this?" Connor asked doubtfully.

'_You have to.'_ Angel thought, but instead he said, "I know you can."

Because the alternative didn't bear thinking about.

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8:03pm, 30th December

Snape clutched at his forearm as a familiar pain began pulsating. He looked around the living room at Grimmuld Place, grateful to see that no one was paying him any attention, they were all too preoccupied with their own things. He just had to ride it out until the pain subsided in a few moments.

"Is he calling you?" Dawn asked quietly from beside him.

Snape jumped at her voice, he'd been focusing on not drawing attention to himself, waiting until the pain had passed and he could find Dumbledore and leave.

He looked down into his daughter's concerned face and nodded tightly. She placed her hand on top of his and muttered a cooling charm. Snape's lips quirked into a brief thank you smile as the pain lessened. All witches and wizards had the potential to learn wandless magic but few bothered with it, preferring to depend on the more reliable wand magic. Surprisingly, wandless magic was something often seen in children, but rarely in adults. Untrained wizards often caused things to happen magically without having ever owned a wand when they were emotional, but few developed their ability in later life.

Severus had been surprised when his daughter had shown such natural ability when he had started teaching her, almost as if she had been around it for years, and had decided to keep her talent quiet- only himself and Dumbledore knew- so that Voldemort would not find out, he didn't want her being even more of an attractive target to him. It wasn't something she used often, a wand was much more convenient and didn't need the fancy rhyming or Latin chanting, but it was nice to have the option there if needed.

"I must go and consult with Dumbledore before I leave."

Dawn nodded. She knew he had to go, but that didn't mean she liked it. "Be careful."

He nodded again and went to find the headmaster before leaving the Order headquarters.

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8:14pm/ 12:14pm, 30th December

Illyria followed Wes as he weaved through the basement archives of Wolfram and Hart. Although she rarely showed any expression, she did seem mildly interested by the happenings of the day. "You are so concerned with names, dates, times."

"Reality's been changed."

"Define change. The world is as it is."

"Not necessarily." Wes said as he opened one of the cabinet drawers. He was quite fascinated by Illyria's view on the world. In some ways it was so simplistic; she wants what she wants and will get it without human emotions getting in the way. In other ways her views were so complex he struggled to comprehend them.

"You are a summation of recollections. Each change is simply a point of experience."

"We are more than just memories."

"And yet Fred changed the moment her memory did."

Wes started at her matter of fact declaration. If Fred's memories were changed, then that meant his were too. What were they before? Why were they changed? What was the price? "Fred's memories were changed?"

"In places."

"Can you see what they were before?"

"No. They're gone." Illyria blinked, watching as Wes selected one of the many files from the drawer. Humans were so weak. To have one's very mind altered by mere magic would be incomprehensible to a god. Once again she cursed the shell for its weakness. Once again she puzzled her guide's reaction to the weakness. "Does this change your view of Fred? Is she still the person you thought she was?"

"No." Wes all bust gasped as he reread the contract. The contract that Angel, his co-worker and friend, had signed in blood. "None of us are."

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10:26pm, 30th December

Dawn's foot froze from where it had been tapping against the chair leg for the last two hours as she saw the kitchen fire flare green. A second later a body rolled out and Dawn jumped to her feet. The other people in the room sighed in relief. Dawn had been getting on all of their nerves with her nervous pacing, tapping and clockwatching.

"Dad! Are you okay?" She looked him over critically, looking for any injuries.

"I'm fine, Dawn." Snape said, half irritated by her fussing, half touched.

"You're sure?"

"Positive."

"Severus?" Dumbledore said from where he'd been watching the exchange by the doorway.

Snape nodded and followed him out, giving his daughter's shoulder a quick squeeze on the way past. He liked that she cared for him, but didn't like that he caused her worry. She shouldn't have to worry about him.

"You okay?" Buffy asked when Dawn sat back down.

"Yeah, it's just hard watching him go and not knowing if he's coming back."

"But he has to keep going." Buffy acknowledged.

"Yeah, I just wish I could help more."

"He doesn't want you to get hurt."

"I know. But its hard being left behind." Dawn said softly.

The two of them held each others gaze for a moment, something passed between them, an understanding of sorts. They could recognise how the other felt, but that didn't mean they liked the way things were. But reality broke in once again as Dumbledore came back into the room looking worried.

"Miss Summers, I think you should be hearing this."

"What is it?" Buffy asked, immediately picking up on his urgent tone.

"Demons." Everyone looked around to see Snape standing in the doorway.

"Where?" Buffy raised herself to her full height, suddenly all business.

"I overheard _him_ talking with Lucius. They're gathering them somewhere on the Manor's grounds. I don't know where abouts, they didn't say."

"I can find out." Dawn spoke up suddenly drawing all attention onto her. "Connor invited me to visit for new years. I can try and find out where they're hiding."

"No. It's too dangerous." Snape said quickly.

Dumbledore looked at Dawn critically. "That's a very generous offer; you will perhaps allow me some time to consider it?"

"Of course, professor." Dawn said stiffly. What was there to consider? They needed someone to find out where they were and she was going to be there. This had to have something to do with her father. She glared at him harshly.

At the same time Snape frowned at Dumbledore. The old codger better not let his daughter go looking for demons. That was not the risk-free involvement Dumbledore had promised. The only reason he'd let Dawn join the Order was because the headmaster had promised not to let her do anything dangerous- he did not share Molly Weasley's opinion that it was dangerous for the children to know what was going on in the Order. No matter how much he hated it, they were involved and he trusted Dawn with what he told her. In fact, it was probably safer than all the coddling that went on around Potter.

"There is nothing more we can do tonight." Dumbledore said, seeing but wisely ignoring the father-daughter glaring contest. "I think we could all do with an early night."

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11:28pm/ 3:28pm, 30th December

Connor wrinkled his nose as they walked into Vail's receiving room, his nerves momentarily forgotten. "This place smells like St. Mungo's."

Vail stood up, an unreadable expression on his face. "Welcome, I've been waiting for you."

Connor stared at the monstrosity in front of him, noting the various tubes attached to his person. "Oh Merlin, look at him."

Angel shushed him. "Listen, Vail, we won't be staying long-"

Connor stepped forward, moving much closer to Vail than he ever would have wanted to. "Here's how it is going to work. I kill Sahjahn, and we leave. You come near my family and I will slit your throat." Connor thought some more as Vail touched his throat contemplatively. "And if that doesn't kill you, I'll cut your whole head off. And if that doesn't work, I'll just keep…stabbing you until you bleed to a very painful death. Understand?"

Both Angel and Vail were looking at Connor, the posh, rich British schoolboy, in surprise. Maybe there was some of the old Connor in there after all.

"I understand."

"Good. So…where is he?"

Vail pointed to the next room. "Right through there."

"Okay." Connor looked into the room and then back to Angel, biting back his nerves. Okay, so he hadn't really done anything like this before, but he had been involved in, and won, a bunch of duels at Hogwarts. So his magic wouldn't work on this Sahjahn guy, but he had been trained by a vampire of all things, one who'd managed to trap this guy in a bottle. He could do this. He mustered up a small smile for his mentor. "See you later."

Angel jumped forward to Connor's side as he started towards the room. "Listen, he's gonna talk to you. Don't let him distract you."

"I won't."

"Even if he's on the ground, do not take your eyes off him."

"Okay."

"Whatever you do, do not-"

Connor stopped walking. "You're starting to make me nervous."

"Right. Sorry." Angel stepped back, only to grab Connors arm and start straitening his shirt collar, much to his eternal surprise. "Sorry, go get him. I'll be right over here."

There was a table at the other side of the room. Connor went over to it, looking at the various weapons set out on it. He had learnt that he didn't deal particularly well with weapon, other than his wand of course. There was also an urn on the table, presumably holding Sahjahn. He turned to ask Angel what he was meant to do now, but a wall had appeared across the entrance to the room. There was no backing out now. Angel must be freaking out.

"Okay." He took a deep breath, psyching himself up for the task that he now had no hope of escaping. "Open sesame. Or whatever."

He took off the top, and a silvery smoke spilled out of the top. It swirled in the air until it took the form of Sahjahn; tall and ugly. When the demon turned around, Connor thought he did rather well not to run and hide.

"Thank you mortal, for releasing me from my cursed prison. In gratitude, I grant you three wishes."

"Really?" Connor perked up.

"Nah. I'm just messing with you."

"Oh." Connor frowned.

Sahjahn chuckled at the kid's disappointment. "I do appreciate it though. That urn wasn't exactly a day at the spa. I owe you one."

"Right." Said Connor, a bit freaked out by the demon's cordial attitude towards time. They were meant to fight to the death after all. "Well I should probably tell you that you and I, well, we're supposed to fight."

"Is that right?" Sahjahn wondered why this kid could possibly thing he would ever stand a chance against him.

"Yeah."

"Now, why would you want-" He broke off, looking at Connor in a new light. He was suddenly taking him a bit more seriously. "You're him."

"Yes, I'm me. Hello. You can take a moment if you want. There are some weapons over there if you think you'll need them." Connor offered, pointing to the axes and swords on the table.

"Thanks." Sahjahn snorted, still not intimidated by the child. He seemed different, not the formidable warrior he was said to be. He seemed like a normal boy. "It's been a while since we've seen each other. How did Quor-Toth work out for you anyway?"

Connor took a step back. Quor-Toth? What in Merlin's name was Quor-Toth? He could practically hear Angel berating him for talking to the demon (which he was doing on the other side of the wall). "Uh…it worked out well. Thanks for asking."

"You know, I've had a long time to plan for this moment. I figured you would be a lot more intimidating."

"Yeah well, I was meant to be playing quidditch with my brother tonight, but I'm here. Learn to cope." Connor bit out. It wasn't enough that he was attacked and forced to fight this guy to protect Draco, now he had to put up with his insults too?

"I'll work on it." Sahjahn said before punching Connor quicker than any human would ever be able to do so. Connor fell to the ground with a groan.

"Ow! Merlin, that really hurt!"

"Did it?"

"Yeah!"

"I'm sorry, do you need to call a time out"

"No, I'm alright."

Connor got back to his feet, glad and confused that he managed to recover so quickly. Sahjahn swung at him again, but acting on instincts he didn't know he had, Connor ducked and followed up with a punch to the demon's face. While Connor was still basking in his hit, Sahjahn returned the favour and Connor went down again.

On the other side of the wall, Angel rushed forward, trying to get to his son. The barrier stopped him from getting in so he turned to glare at Vail, his eyes flashing dangerously yellow.

"Sorry. Not your fight."

Angel growled, feral and low. "Open the doorway. Right now."

Vail held the glowing yellow cube in his hands. All the time he held the cube, he had an ace still to play. And they both knew it. "Or you'll what? Relax. Your son has to grow up sooner of later. Sit back and watch his future unfold. There is no need to bring back the past if we don't have to."

Angel watched as Sahjahn punched Connor twice, but this time Connor only stepped back and managed to stay on his feet. Connor tried to punch his opponent, but Sahjahn caught his fist and slung him over the other side of the room. As Connor got up, he kicked out, but it didn't faze Sahjahn who hit him again, sending him to the floor once more.

"_You know, I went to a lot of trouble to get rid of you. What a colossal waste of time that turned out to be."_

Angel's face hardened as he heard Sahjahn's taunt. He flinched as Connor received a kick to the ribs hard enough to life him off the floor. "Open it now-"

When Angel turned to Vail, he was frozen in time and the yellow cube was missing from his hands. Angel whirled around until he saw Illyria standing next to Wesley. Wesley had the cube.

Wes glared at Angel. He still didn't know what was going on, but the yellow box must have something to do with it. "You changed the world."

Angel kept his eyes fixed on the cube; he couldn't risk anything happening to it. For Connor's sake. "Wes, what are you doing?"

"You sold us out to Wolfram and Hart."

"Be careful."

Wes was shocked that Angel didn't even try to deny it. Was that what had cost them Fred's life? What could be so important to risk Fred? He noticed Angel's eyes were fixed on the yellow box he held in his hands. "Is this your thirty pieces of silver?"

"Wes, give me that."

"He doesn't follow you any longer." As Angel stared toward his friend, Illyria stepped forward and backhanded Angel so hard that he flew across the room. In the other room, Connor was getting the same treatment from Sahjahn.

"_These prophecies are turning out to be pretty overrated. I gotta tell you kid, you're making a good case for the whole concept of free will."_

"You changed the world." Wes repeated, not noticing Sahjahn thrown Connor into the table in the other room.

"He's my son, Wesley." Angel said desperately, trying to catch Wes' attention long enough to get the box. "Connor is my son."

"Did you trade her?" Wes spared a brief glance at Illyria. "Did you trade Fred for your son?"

"What?"

"Everything that's happened since we took over Wolfram & Hart; everything that's happened to… her. Did you know? Was Fred the price?"

"No, Wes." Angel promised, aghast that Wes would think him capable of trading Fred's life for anything. "I can explain. Just put that down."

"Why are you so afraid of this? He said it would bring back the past. Will it undo what you've done?"

"No. It won't bring her back."

"Let's find out." Wes raised his arm, fully intending to smash the cube. If there was even the slightest change that it would bring Fred back…

Angel rushed forward desperately. "No! Please, you have to trust me."

"I can't. Not anymore."

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11:55pm, 31st December

Slayer dreams were a bitch.

Faith had long ago accepted that…well, not so much 'accepted' but she recognised it was so and allowed the frustration it brought out in her to fester until it could be settled in a suitably violent way.

She had been dreaming of the boy and the girl for the last few days. She didn't recognise them, but she did know them. She just didn't know how. It didn't make much sense, Faith herself didn't even know how she knew these things, but she did. It was like a gut instinct, only ten times stronger. She felt a strong kinship to the dream duo, all she wanted was to protect them in the same way she wanted to help the Scoobies or Angel and his crew. But she had no idea why she was feeling these things.

After over five years of slayer dreams, Faith had resigned herself to a seemingly endless confusion. She just had to have faith, no pun intended, that things would make themselves clear in the end. And then she would beat the baddies and get her happy ever after. At least until the next mystery came along.

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12:00am, 31st December

She wasn't alone. There was someone else there in the room, but she didn't know who. She couldn't see them, but they were definitely there. As Dawn was looking around for the invisible people, a man and woman walked in. They paused briefly to look into the next room where, from the sounds, a fight was going on, but then continued their journey and Dawn got a good look at them.

The man was older than the woman, he was roughly shaven but that was his only distinguishing feature. She, however, stuck out like a sore thumb. She wore a dark red cat suit and had a blue tinge to her skin and hair, but still looked human in shape and size. They held a glowing yellow cube. She was definitely drawn to that cube.

The man, who she thought she ought to know, hesitated for a moment. 'Wes.' Dawn thought, though she didn't know where the name had come from. There was an argument between 'Wes' and another man; dark, dark, tall forehead. Dawn instinctively knew he was a vampire, though he'd done nothing extraordinary. She knew him too, or might do. It was confusing. Blue hit the vampire and he went flying, further than anyone ought to be able to hit. 'Wes' picked up the glowing box and smashing it on the ground.

There was a massive yellow flash which blinded her for a minute.

Then things became clear again. She noticed that her dad was in the room with her, he'd been one of the invisible beings she'd sensed earlier. The slayer was there too. All three looked at each other.

They remembered.

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**A/N:** And so ends the longest day EVER. Over 15,000 words for one day. My brain hurts a bit.

Please review!!


	9. Fly Away

THE KEY'S VESSEL by Kiara

**DISCLAIMER**: Harry Potter stuff, not mine. Buffy stuff, not mine.

**SUMMARY: **HP/BtVS. When you want to keep something really safe, where do you send them? To two of the most powerful families the wizarding worlds has ever seen of course…

**A/N: **Thanks for all the feedback. And here is an extra-long chapter!

**Deliver Me From Evil by Kiara**

**CHAPTER 7- FLY AWAY**

It was like a switch had flicked inside of him. One moment he was gasping for air, scrabbling about on the table Sahjahn had pinned him against by his neck, the next he grabbed the demon's throat, using strength he didn't even know he had to sling him away. He didn't even have to think about it, it was pure instinct. He had been losing, but suddenly he was filled with all this knowledge. As an experienced hunter, or half of him was anyway, Connor 0.1 was able to file away all the information that was unnecessary at that particular moment and focus on surviving. Connor 0.2 had merged with his alternate personality, adding a calmness and rationality that was missing before.

Sahjahn didn't notice the new confidence in his opponent. He chuckled darkly. "Lucky shot."

Connor rolled over the table, snatching up an axe without needing to pause. He face Sahjahn, able to meet him blow for blow- much to the demon's confusion. Fighting was easy, he was good at fighting. Fighting didn't require much thinking; there were no complicated situations or confusing lives. But, sooner or later, it had to end. Definitely sooner rather than later. Connor swung the axe at Sahjahn's head, slicing it clean off. As it fell to the ground with a thud, Connor was surprised that it didn't disturb him. He had just killed something. But it was a demon, demons were meant to be killed. He could sense the other people in the room now the barrier was down even though he couldn't see them. Every sound and every smell was magnified. He heard Wesley gasp in shock. He heard Angel fidgeting anxiously.

With the barrier separating them down, Angel stepped forward nervously. Was this the old Connor? Would he still hate him? "Connor?"

Connor looked between Angel (his father?) and the bloody axe still in his hand. Now the adrenaline had worn off, it was even more surreal and unbelievable. "Whoa! You see that? I went a little hard-core there for a second. That guy made me really cranky."

Angel gave him the once over, checking for injuries. Checking for signs that he remembered. He hoped he didn't remember and at the same time he hoped he did. Was it so wrong to want his son back after giving him up? "Are you OK?"

"Yeah. I guess. I don't really like people touching my neck, you know?" He rubbed his neck to demonstrate the point.

"Connor... uh... "

"Hey where's that Vail guy?" Connor interrupted. He didn't know what Angel was planning on saying, but he did know that he couldn't deal with it right now.

"Gone." Wesley stared forward, staring at Connor in amazement. He remembered believing the prophecy. He remembered loosing all his friends. He remembered betraying Angel. He wished he could forget. 

"We'll find him." Angel promised. At this point he would have given Connor anything he asked for.

"I'm not too worried about him. Nothing he can show me I haven't already seen." Connor said, meeting Angel's gaze. He looked away, confused by the emotions in them. Confused by the emotions he was feeling. Did he hate Angel? Did he ever really know him? Were things better this way? He needed time, time to get this straight in his own head before he could deal with Angel.****

"Can we get out of here? I'd like to go back... see my brother." He put his axe down tentatively; resembling the person he'd been about ten minutes ago. He looked at Angel, almost apologetically. For the first time in his life, he actually felt like he understood the man behind the beast. At least partly. Maybe Wolfram and Hart had made him a bit more thoughtful. Maybe it was having a younger sibling which had given him the patience (Merlin knows Draco tested it often enough). Whatever it was, he would be grateful to Angel for giving him an out from his old life when it was spiralling out of control. "This whole fighting thing, I'm not... I'm not really sure it's for me."

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Connor's hand shook as he poured himself a glass of water. He'd apperated home (was Malfoy Manor still home?) as soon as he could. How he'd managed to tran-atlantic apparate without splinching himself in light of all the emotional torment was beyond him. The kitchen was deathly silent, not even the house elves had gotten up yet and he found it unsettling. Well, not nearly as unsettling as the memories which had flooded his mind- Quortoth, Angel, Cordelia, Jasmine… everything. It was too much to take in.

A light flooded the room and he turned, looking like a rabbit caught in headlights. It didn't reassure him any when he saw Lucius standing in the doorway, wand raised and trained on him.

Miles away in Spinners End, Dawn was still trying to catch her breath. Right now, she felt just as much Summers as Snape- felt as much love for Buffy as she did for her father. It was confusing to say the least. Not to mention the monk-rage, a fairly familiar emotion to Dawn Summers, if not to Dawn Snape. But they were the same now. She realized that the whole 'life swap' must have something to do with the Key- a memory she wasn't sure how to react to. She remembered cutting her arm and running away the last time she found out things weren't as they seemed, she also remembered coming to terms with it. No, it wasn't the Key that was the problem. It was something else.

"Dawn?"

"Hey Dad."

He moved over to the bed and pulled his daughter into his arms. When he'd woken with the realization that things weren't as they seemed it was hard to say how he was feeling. Mainly he was worried for his daughter, for she was undoubtedly still his- of that he was sure. He just hoped that she felt the same.

"Are you okay?" He gave himself a mental slap; of course she wasn't okay.

He felt he shrug against him and when she spoke it sounded muffled against his night robes. "I don't know. I think so."

His grip tightened. Sometimes spying for Dumbledore was terrifying, but it was nowhere near the fear he had now, that his daughter would leave him and he'd be on his own again.

Dawn raised her head, now looking him right in the eye. "What do you think?"

There was a long pause before he spoke, so long that Dawn was worried about what he might say- that this changed things between them and she couldn't be around anymore. That she wasn't his daughter.

"When you were born, I didn't understand what it was to be a parent. There you were and, even though I'd done nothing to deserve it, you loved me. And I loved you back- a Death Eater capable of love. That's when I knew to change. You can't manufacture that. I don't know what has happened or what will happen; all I know for sure is that you're mine and I love you."

He spoke quietly, but the feeling was there. Dawn felt tears welling up in her eyes. So what if they didn't get on one hundred percent of the time? They were still a family.

There was a bang and a scuffle downstairs. Dawn and Severus looked at each other in alarm. Who would be bursting in on them unannounced after midnight?

"Dawnie?"

Dawn's eyes widened and she bolted down the stairs. Snape followed at a slower pace and when he reached them he saw his daughter hugging the blond slayer he'd been introduced to the other day as if her life depended on it.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to… you know…" Buffy murmured.

"Forget? Me neither."

Although Snape couldn't see Dawn, he could tell from her voice that she was crying. She and Buffy must have been close before this happened. He felt another pang of fear. Would she leave him for her sister? No. He would never let that happen. She was still his daughter, nothing could change that.

Now Buffy was holding Dawn at an arms length and looking her over. She still looked how she remembered- they still looked like sisters. Buffy smiled in relief. Her sister was still in there. She felt the need to affirm that.

"Still working that Summers blood."

Dawn stiffened for a moment, knowing that Buffy was 'staking her claim' on her, before grinning. "Sure am, only now there's some Snape thrown in for good measure."

Buffy's smile dimmed slightly as her sister tossed her hair, which she now noticed was darker, back over her shoulder. Before she had time to dwell on it, she was pulled into another hug by her little sister.

"I'm glad you're back."

"Me too."

For the first time, Buffy caught sight of Snape lurking in the background. They'd been introduced the previous day before he went to spy and she hadn't exactly liked him. He was grumpy and dark. She remembered how Dawn had been acting when he was away yesterday. She loved him. Dawn wouldn't want to leave him, not even for her sister.

"Buffy…breathing is good." Dawn gasped as her sister's grip tightened.

"Sorry."

Snape had seen the look Buffy had sent him. She wasn't going to give up without a fight. Well, neither would he.

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Connor realised that he hadn't said anything. He was just staring dumbly at the man he had thought was his father. But he wasn't. It was just something Wolfram and Hart had manufactured- they weren't even related. Connor felt something akin to relief with that last thought.

"Father." It sounded weird calling him that. He'd never been a good father, now it seemed that he wasn't even a bad one. Connor eyed his father's still raised wand warily. Was it possibly that he knew?

"It's midnight." Lucius lowered his wand slowly. "And you missed dinner. Where have you been?"

"I just got in, I did tell Mother I wouldn't be back for dinner. I didn't mean to be so late home. I was visiting friends and it was like I was in another time zone." Connor said truthfully. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

"You didn't."

Connor noticed that Lucius was still wearing his heavy cloak, he'd just got in from a Death Eater related thing no doubt. Lucius was always being called on at odd hours to do Voldemort's bidding. It was the 'benefit' of being in the inner circle.

"Well, goodnight then." Connor said stiffly. He didn't to talk anymore. He didn't want to pretend that everything was okay.

"Are we still expecting Miss Snape to join us over the New Year?"

Dawn. The slayers sister. Would she still be coming now that she knew the truth? Did she even remember about him? They'd never even met before but surely Faith or Willow had told the Sunnydale gang about him even if Angel hadn't.

"I haven't heard any differently." He replied evasively, moving to go back to his room.

"Excellent." Lucius said without meaning. Connor wanted to deck him.

"Well good night." Connor said after an awkward pause in which he tried not to glare at Lucius.

Lucius nodded, moving back and allowing his heir to pass. "Sleep well."

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They'd talked through the night. Caught each other up on the last few months while Snape listened in curiously and a little worried. This was the life his daughter had left behind? Of demons and evil lawyers? It made being a member of the Order seem tame.

Giles and Willow had dropped by not long after Buffy first arrived. There'd been lots of hugging and promising to catch up later. Xander had sent his love, he'd phoned Willow the moment he realised what had happened and planned to fly over as soon as he could to check up on the closest thing he had to a baby sister. He also promised to get Wolfram and Hart to look into things in addition to the research Giles had already started to do. Things seemed to fall into place so easily. The Scoobs welcomed her back, loving her as if she'd never left.

As Buffy spoke with her sister, she had to keep reminding herself that it had been three months since she last saw her sister and Dawn had another family now. She had a scary-goth-Dad who cared about her, that much was clear by the way he was hovering about. Although he couldn't protect her the way she could. But in all the hours that they'd been talking, no mother had been mentioned, not even hinted at. Would it be insensitive to ask?

"Hey Dawnie, what's your Mom like here?" She asked softly.

Dawn's face immediately clouded over.

"She's not in the picture." Snape said evenly, entering their conversation for the first time. He too looked unhappy with the topic of conversation and Buffy realised she'd made a mistake.

"She was pureblood and an only child. She was meant to marry rich and dark and carry on the family line. She dated Dad at Hogwarts and when he was a Death Eater and here I am." Dawn explained, seemingly casual but anyone that knew her would notice the tense stance and the look in her eyes. It still hurt her.

"You were a Death Eater?" Buffy said, turning to Snape. She already knew this, but in all that had happened it had slipped her memory.

"I was." He admitted, half expecting his woman to try and kill him there and then. She was the slayer after all.

"Now he spies for our side." Dawn said firmly, letting Buffy know in no uncertain terms that violence against her father would not be tolerated. "He's changed."

Buffy just nodded. She could accept that people changed, why did everyone always assume that she would just hit out? But a Death Eater was not a suitable guardian for Dawnie. "So where is your Mom now?"

"In jail since I was four. I don't remember that much about her but what I do know isn't really favourable."

Buffy smiled sympathetically and grasped Dawn's hand in her own. "There's so much I don't know. Do you maybe wanna do something today? Like we used to?"

Snape bristled. This woman was already taking his daughter away from him and it hadn't even been a day. There were things he wanted to know as well, about what it had been like for Dawn to live in Sunnydale. About how she felt about continuing to live at Hogwarts.

"I can't."

Buffy pulled back, both surprised and hurt. "Why not?"

"I promised Connor I'd spend New Years with the Malfoy's. He hates it there and he has no one to talk to about stuff. Well, if he's remembered everything. Besides, it would look really suspicious to just cancel and if his Dad finds out he'll kill him."

"I…what?" It seemed Dawn hadn't lost her tendency to babble.

"Connor is Angel's Connor." Dawn explained. A memory stirred at the back of Buffy's mind. Angel had had a son. But then he hadn't had one anymore, and nobody had realised. "I don't know if he's remembered about L.A. and Angel and everything, but if he has then he's all alone. I can't just leave him, Buffy."

Buffy nodded and forced herself to smile. She didn't want to fight with Dawn. And, as head slayer and a big part of the new council, she had to check in with Giles and a few other slayers anyway. "I get it. Sort of. It's okay, we'll do the sister bonding thing some other time. Soon."

Dawn hugged her. "Thank you. I better go and get ready. I'm glad you're back Buff."

"Me too. Something didn't feel right without you."

Buffy held her smile as Dawn disappeared upstairs and then stared at Snape, assessing him. "Thank you for looking after my sister."

Snape raised one eyebrow. There was no mistaking that for actual thanks- it was purely about claiming Dawn to be 'hers'. "Miss Summers-"

"Buffy."

How he hated that name, he had when Dumbledore had first introduced them. Still… "Buffy, it is obvious that you care for Dawn a great deal. But so do I. She is mine also and I will not lose her. Are we clear?"

Buffy nodded slightly, acknowledging the challenge. "Crystal."

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When Buffy flooed back to Giles' home in Bath, she opened her mouth to yell for her watcher. It turned out not to be necessary as the moment she rolled into the kitchen, both Giles and Willow's eyes were on her.

"How's Dawnie?" Was Willow's immediate request, the concern in her eyes mirrored in Giles'. Both of them were worried about the youngest member of their dysfunctional family- and to think Dawn had always referred to herself as the 'normal one'. Neither of them could forget how Dawn had reacted to finding out she was the key and they both harboured a great deal of guilt over her insecurities. Giles because it was from his diary that Dawn had found out, and not from her family who loved her and would have been there to guide her through it. Willow because, when she had been evil, she had seen the Key as Dawn's biggest anxiety and had tried to exploit that. Since then, they were both sure that the littlest Scooby had come to terms with her unorthodox origins. But now, with it all being dragged up again, who knew how she would be coping?

"She's surprisingly fine." Buffy admitted, not sure whether to feel relieved or inadequate.

"Well, I suppose that's to be expected." Giles said, sensing the feelings in his slayer the way any paternal figure would. "She had already been though this once with you. You've shown Dawn her importance and now she knows that to the people who love her, it won't matter."

"Thanks." Buffy ducked her head at the compliment, knowing that Giles was reminding her what a big part of Dawn's life she had been. In the past. Before. The slayer-switch flicked within her, sending her from docile to violent in nought-point-two seconds. "I am going to slay those monks so slowly."

Willow and Giles exchanged looks. "Uh, Buffy, we don't know it was the monks."

"Of course it was the monks! Who else to we know who specialises in 'Extreme Makeover- Key edition'?"

They wisely stayed quiet.

"Hasn't she been though enough? Haven't we all been through enough? Why? And what were they thinking sending her to a Death Eater? Hello, they're the bad guys? What, they don't want to protect the Key anymore? Figure that they'll spare evil the trouble of having to go through the slayer and just hand her to them on a plate?"

"But Professor Snape is a member of the Order, Buffy. He's saved thousands of lives with the information he provides." Giles pointed out rationally. "And he loves Dawn."

"And I don't?" Buffy screeched, both hurt and annoyed.

"You love Dawn more than anything, I love her like she was my own daughter. We all love her. And that's why we might have to admit that this may have been for the best."

Buffy didn't say anything. She glared at him, clenching and unclenching her fists to release the tension.

"I saw her yesterday, and today. She's grown up, safely I might add, into a beautiful, confident young woman. She has a balance in her life, goes to school, has friends and helps out the Order without putting herself in danger."

"I never put her in danger." Buffy said hurt. Giles avoided her gaze. "I kept her safe. I taught her how to defend herself, I never wanted her to be in danger."

"Neither did the monks."

Her eyes narrowed at the mention of those who had wronged her. "I'm still going to slay them. And I still don't trust him. Dawn is my sister; it's my job to look after her. _Not_ his."

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It didn't take long for her to get ready, so Dawn spent a good quarter of an hour clockwatching before she was able to floo to Malfoy Manor. A time which she could have done without, she was having too many thoughts and the looks her father kept sending her didn't help any.

Dawn had decided to become an optimist. Everything was going to work out for the best. And really, there was a logical solution for all of this. She would keep attending Hogwarts for the rest of the school year and see Buffy and the gang by floo every so often. Maybe she could visit after the N.E.W.T's. It had always been the plan to start at a boarding school to get her high school diploma and maybe even college while Buffy was setting up the council all over the world, so (in theory) Buffy couldn't complain. The only problem would be actually telling Buffy that, although it really wasn't the case at all, her little sister was choosing life in England over her.

Dawn would have to psych herself up for that, and in the meanwhile she still couldn't reassure her father. She had to break the news to Buffy first. Visiting Connor was actually a nice rest from her own problems. It was already exhausting and it hadn't even been twelve hours. She didn't even want to think about life post-Hogwarts.

After what seemed like hours, she stepped into the fire and a few seconds later was at Malfoy Manor. She stepped out into the entrance hall and immediately saw Connor leaning up against the wall. When he saw her, he smiled and gave her a 'welcome' kiss. Still not used to the whole couple bit, she bit chewed on her bottom lip self-consciously when they parted.

"Hi."

A house elf spoke up nervously. "Mister Malfoy wishes Miss Snape to be brought straight to drawing room."

"I'll take her." Connor said, glaring at the house elf as if it was his fault that Lucius had demanded to see Dawn the moment she arrived. He grabbed her hand and started dragging her down the hall.

"Connor! You're hurting my arm!"

He stopped abruptly when he realised what he was doing. "Sorry. I forget my own strength sometimes."

Dawn smiled wryly. "Yeah. There's a lot of that going around."

He cracked the barest Mona Lisa smile. She knew. "Once you've spoken to him we'll talk, okay?"

Dawn nodded. "Sure."

Lucius Malfoy was sitting in his drawing room reading the Daily Prophet. He put it down when he heard them walk in and Dawn couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the story on the front page: "New figures prove peaceful times in our world." She'd visited the Order Headquarters several times over the Christmas break and could fully attest to the fact that Voldemort was as large as ever. The ministry were just doing a better job of covering it up this time round. Peaceful times were not in the future but the prophet would keep banging on about unity and peace (the next headline read: 'Muggle born appointed head of international unanimity committee').

Lucius caught her look. "The drivel they write sometimes, but it really is the only tolerable newspaper."

"Total nonsense." Dawn agreed, just as Lucius turned to the society page which had a large picture of his wife with a champagne glass in hand. "Well, it does have its moments."

Connor had to duck his head to hide his smile.

Lucius didn't notice, or chose to ignore his son's amusement, and continued with his spiel. "Miss Snape, welcome to our home."

Dawn resisted the urge to squirm under his gaze. "Thank you sir, it's just as lovely as it was last time I was here. Please, call me Dawn."

"Thank you, Dawn. I had hoped your Father might join us to see in the New Year, but alas…"

"Yes, he was very sorry he couldn't make it. A very important prior engagement, he said you would understand." Dawn said evenly. Her father had been hoping to join them for dinner, but his double life called and he was required to meet with Peter Pettigrew that night. In the last week, her father had been 'called up' four times- something big was definitely being planned.

"Quite. Well, it was lovely to see you again Dawn. I shall let my son take you now, I'm sure you have much to…discuss."

Dawn blushed at the implication, causing Malfoy Sr. to smirk something rotten.

Connor, smirking slightly himself (as his father would expect- ever the perfect Malfoy heir), took her hand and lead her out of the room.

"Your Dad's such a sleaze." Dawn breathed as soon as they were safely down the hall.

"He's not my Dad." Connor muttered.

"Right. Sorry."

He stopped, looking down the hall distractedly. "It's not your fault."

"Connor, I-"

"Shh."

Dawn frowned at the finger pushed against her lips in the universal 'hush' gesture. "What?"

He nodded down the hall, just as Draco stepped out of a room further down. When the youngest Malfoy saw them, he stopped still- looking like a rabbit caught in headlights.

"What are you doing?" Connor asked bluntly. Draco could lie when he thought about it, but at times like this when he was caught red handed you could read him like an open book.

He recovered after a minute though. "Out for a stroll. Hello Snape."

Dawn glared at him, irritated. More so than she had been before the events of the previous day. Her surname (or _surnames_ as it now was) only served as a reminder to a headache-inducing circumstance. "Thought I told you not to call me that?"

"He only does it because it irritates you." Connor said with a perfect eye roll.

"And to think I credited him with a little more maturity than that."

"Well, there's your first mistake." Draco said, not fazed in the slightest.

Quick as lightening, Connor's hand darted out as his brother tried to walk past and came back holding a letter. "So you're Mrs N Malfoy now?"

Dawn tutted with a grin. "Stealing Mummy's mail, Drake? Whatever will we do with you?"

"Give that back!" Draco made a swipe for the letter as Connor read it, but missed by miles given Connor's newly rediscovered lightening reflexes.

Connor skimmed the content and frowned. His brother had been skipping class. Again. You'd never know it from his grades, but their mother would not be pleased at being written to by the school. "You told me you were going to start going to History of Magic."

"Is it any of your business?"

"You're my brother! You said you were going to turn up to class."

"I did!"

"Liar."

"Fine, if it means to much to you, I'll go to the damned class, I'll go right now."

"No one's there; it's the Christmas Holidays."

"Well, if they can't be bothered to show up, then why should I?" Draco smirked.

Dawn stood back. She'd been back for a few months so had plenty of time to see the Malfoy brothers going at it. It hadn't taken long for her to realise that it was best to stand well back and watch the fireworks.

"Shouldn't you two be locked in his room or something?" Draco said with a scowl. He hated getting caught, especially by Connor. He had a tendency to hold whatever it was over Draco's head for months to come and Draco could never catch him in return. He was too sneaky for that, too 'Malfoy' for that.

Dawn glared at Draco, aware that Connor was doing the same thing and clenching his fists by his sides. When the Malfoy brother's fought, they really rubbed each other up the wrong way.

Draco, realising he was skating on thin ice, edged past the couple, grabbing the letter from Hogwarts back as he past. "I'll just leave you to it then."

"What is it with your family?"

"Fath- Lucius has been trying to push us together for years. You're a suitable match." Connor said flatly. He was a little more open to his father- no, Lucius' matchmaking than he had been when he was eleven, but he still didn't like him judging Dawn's suitability based on her parentage.

"And Draco? What's his excuse?"

A tiny grin. "He's fourteen. Isn't that enough?"

They moved on down the seemingly endless halls, each dark wall ordained with heavy portraits and intricate tapestries, until Connor stopped and opened a dark wood door.

"Here, we can talk in my quarters."

Connor flicked his wand at the fireplace as he went in causing the flames to leap to life, instantly making the room seem more homely. The walls seemed to change colour, from a dark blood red to a warm crimson, the highly polished wooden surfaces glinting in the firelight. He sat in one of the plush armchairs and Dawn sat in the one opposite, running her hand over the soft fabric. The chairs in her home were quite threadbare- he father rarely bothered to get new ones as he spent so little time at the house.

"So, you know?" Dawn asked bluntly. Best get straight to the point; they had a lot to discuss.

Connor nodded. "Since last night."

"Me too. You're Da- Lucius didn't find out?"

"No, why? Did your Dad… or Professor Snape?" Connor said carefully, trying to see her reaction on the matter.

"He's still Dad, and, yes, he found out the same way I did."

"Why only him? Not that I'm ungrateful or anything, but why didn't Lucius find out?" Connor puzzled.

Dawn smiled gently. She'd been through this before and, though she couldn't quite see it at the moment, she knew that light was there at the end of the tunnel. Somewhere. "Magic."

Connor sighed. "I hate magic."

They lapsed into a silence, both running over the events which would undoubtedly change their lives forever. Connor was having trouble accepting what he had been in his previous life. He'd almost killed those people in the department store in cold blood. He'd come _this close_ to being as bad as Lucius; the revelation that Lucius was not his real father, at least not the only one, didn't upset him at all. The less he had to do with that man the better, and he'd pretty much severed all ties when he'd gone into Dumbledore's office with Dawn. The silver lining (sort-of) was that having had Lucius as a father, made him see what a good father Angel had been. He'd cared about him, even enough to let him go.

"So… Angel's son, huh." Dawn said when neither of them had spoken for a few minutes.

"Yeah." Connor said with a bit of a laugh. It was weird, now he kind of liked the idea of being the kid of a formally-evil-vampire (better than a currently-evil-wizard). "And you're Buffy's sister."

"Pretty much. Looks like we had more in common than we thought."

"I knew there was a reason I liked you."

"Other than my winning personality and dashing smile?" Dawn grinned before turning serious. "So, how you coping?"

"I'm fine." Connor said after a pause. Dawn gave him a look. "Well, I've been better, but pretty much okay. It was the best thing, sending me here. I've been pretty happy on the whole, and things have been good. Sure, I'm the son of vampires, but nobody's perfect… Yeah, I'm really okay. What about you?"

"I'm doing go-"

There was a knock at the door and they both turned to look panicked.

"Connor?"

It was Lucius.

"One minute." Connor yelled back, already messing up his bed linen.

"What are you mffft!" He cut her off with a kiss, pulling back a minute later, now with a trace of her lipstick on the corner of his mouth.

"I don't want him to ask what we were talking about." He explained hurriedly.

She frowned and for a moment Connor was worried that he'd offended her. Then realisation occurred and she tipped her head upside down and shook her hair. When she straightened up, her hair had lost its perfectly groomed look.

"That okay?"

"Perfect." He ran a hand through his own hair and crossed to open the door.

Dawn sat down on the bed, carefully rearranging her clothing. She didn't really want to lie to Lucius- who knew how good he was at legimency?- this way he wouldn't even ask.

"Sorry Father." Connor said the minute he opened the door.

Lucius took in the scene in one look and smirked. "Not at all son."

Connor forced himself to share his 'father's' smirk- act normal like nothing was different. While the old Connor would have lashed out, as a Malfoy, Connor had learnt more restraint.

"Lunch will be ready shortly."

Connor nodded and shut the door. He turned to Dawn and frowned.

"He was checking up on us."

Dawn frowned. "And the fact that he thinks we're making out reassured him?"

Connor shrugged. Lucius Malfoy was not like other parents. When Draco got in trouble during his first year for tormenting muggle borns, he gave him a new broomstick and only a brief word about not getting caught. Or so his fake memories told him.

He flopped back on the bed, running through the memories that had never happened. They all seemed so real. Scarily real. He could remember every mistake he'd ever made in worrying detail, and surprisingly neutrally. He could admit to being stupid and thoughtless and a million other things.

"I wasn't exactly well adjusted in the other life." He said out of the blue.

"I know." Dawn replied simply. "What? You dropped your Dad in the ocean, Connor; do you really think that news wouldn't have made it to Sunnydale?"

"It's not just that." Connor admitted reluctantly, surprised that she'd know that much. When Dawn knew the extent of what he'd done, she wouldn't stick around. He couldn't even look at her, he just lay there staring at the ceiling. "I believed whatever Holtz told me to. I let him turn me into an assassin. I killed people as well as demons. If Angel hadn't stopped me, then I would have murdered every innocent person in that department store."

The bed dipped as she sat next to him, silently studying his face. Her next move surprised him. She leant down and kissed him on the corner of his mouth. "I don't really like to give up on people." She confided. "In that life, I caused my sister's death. Buffy, Spike and Angelus all tried to kill me on various occasions. Willow tried to wipe out my existence. There's little that you could say to make me leave." She sat back up, smiling at the dumbfounded look on his face. "Besides, I already knew most of that stuff from Faith, and Willow spoke with Fred on the phone a lot. I meant what I said Connor- I'm not going anywhere. We're both different people than we were then, literally. If you still want me, I'm here. I know all I need to know."

Her words lifted a huge weight off his shoulders. He'd been convinced that she'd be scared off by is dark side and then he'd be alone again. Only this time he wouldn't have his 'family' to fall back on. "You know about all that, and yet you're still here. Are you crazy?"

She grinned. "Probably. It has been said before, you know."

He reached up and touched her cheek. "This feels pretty real to me. This isn't another fake memory is it?"

"I doubt it."

"How are you taking this so well?" He allowed himself to relax for a moment, momentarily forgetting about Angel, Lucius and Voldemort. He could just fly away from reality for a while.

"Practice. You know about the Key deal, right?"

He nodded. Not long after he'd come back from Quortoth he'd overheard his father and Cordelia talking. He didn't know much. Dawn was the Key. Her sister had died and then come back.

"I didn't deal so well when I found out that my life had been manufactured. I ran off, nearly got myself killed. I thought everything would change. But then things were okay, and I have to believe that they will be okay this time too. And you will be too. I know you didn't exactly get on with Angel, but he's one of the good guys and so what if Lucius Malfoy is a jerk? You've got a brother out of the deal so it's not all bad."

"You're pretty amazing, you know that?" Connor smiled as she ducked her head and blushed, his first real smile since he'd found out. He pulled her down to him. Their lips had barely touched when…

"Oh, disgusting."

Connor groaned. "What do you want, Draco?"

"Food's ready so if you could detangle yourselves from each other for two seconds then it would be greatly appreciated." He said, the sarcasm dripping off his voice.

"What was that you were saying about him being a good thing?" Connor said, glaring briefly in Draco's direction but still moving to go to lunch.

"I take it all back." Dawn paused next to Draco to straighten his collar. He looked at her in surprise. He couldn't remember anyone ever having done that before- whenever his mother noticed something off about his appearance she'd either bark at a house elf to correct it or expect Draco to right it himself.

"Watch the hands, Snape." He barked as he stalked out the door, having recovered himself completely.

Dawn grinned at his retreating back. "Little snot. So are we going to lunch or what?"

"Sure." Connor said, grinning widely. Those moments, when it was just him and Dawn, things seemed to fall into place. He wondered what her sister would say. Or his real father for that matter (he was already referring to Angel as his real father- he had definitely changed). They'd probably have a heart attack.

"What's so funny?" Dawn asked having seen his smile.

"I was just thinking how ironic all of this is. Me, Angel's son, falling in love with you, Buffy's sister. What would they say?" He had noticed Dawn stop still a few steps back.

"L-Love?"

'Oh bugger.'

"I mean I'm only seventeen and it's only been a few weeks..." Dawn stammered. The whole concept of love, it was too much to take in right now. They'd only been officially together for a couple of weeks, even less than that, okay so things had been going in that direction for the last three months but still… Plus, she'd heard the rumours of what Connor had been like before she'd arrived- a bit of a player by all accounts.

"It feels like you've been around forever, you get me more than anyone else. I know it's too soon to start talking about stuff like that… I don't mean… whatever… But yeah, I think I'm getting there." He'd never made so little sense in his own head, but he knew that he could see himself with Dawn in the future. He felt for her, cared for her, and while he wasn't naïve enough to think that they'd fallen in love just like that, he was pretty sure they were going in that direction.

"Me too." Dawn said shyly. This was her first 'proper' relationship and she didn't want to rush things, but yeah, she could definitely see herself falling in love with Connor in the future, truth be told, she'd already started falling. "So this is good then."

"I'd say so." Connor said. "So, lunch?"

"Sounds good."

He gave her this look that made her insides melt, and she could barely suppress the urge to jump up and down and then run to Buffy and tell her what had happened- there was definitely still a lot of Summers in her. She settled for a smile and took the hand he offered. Which turned out to be a good thing and she soon got her feet tangled and tripped forward.

Connor grinned, easily catching Dawn as she fell. He was feeling pretty giddy himself, of course he was far too manly to let it show too much. His grin spread as he saw how much Dawn was blushing. She hated to look like a klutz. He thought it was funny.

Dawn righted herself with a mental curse at her easily flushing face. She caught Connor's smirk out of the corner of her eye and felt all gooey again.

Oh yeah, she was definitely falling.

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Please review!! And yes, the monk smack-down is forthcoming. No matter what Giles says.


	10. Leave

THE KEY'S VESSEL by Kiara

**DISCLAIMER**: Harry Potter stuff, not mine. Buffy stuff, not mine. I borrowed some dialogue from Angel: the Series here which (obviously) I don't own either.

**Deliver Me From Evil by Kiara**

**PART EIGHT- LEAVE**

"Well...uh..."

"You see...I...don't...know."

Buffy glared at the monks sitting around her. And at the one she had pinned to the wall in front of her.

"You took my sister and that's the best explanation you've got?"

"She wasn't safe!" One of the monks blurted out. He immediately regretted it as the slayer's glare trained on him.

"She was perfectly safe- I was looking after her." Buffy ground out, daring them to say differently.

"She was fighting demons. She has no slayer powers like yourself, you know it's not safe for her. Why else refuse to let her slay for all those years?" One particularly brave, or stupid, monk spoke out.

"I trained her myself because she wanted to make a difference. Unlike you lot," Buffy said disgusted, "who just sit around here and play God with our lives. And seriously, you worry that I'm not keeping her safe so you put her in a war with a spy for a dad? Are you for real?"

The monks exchanged glances. "War?"

"You never said anything about a war." A shorter monk muttered, nudging the man standing next to him.

He glared and turned to Buffy. "We did extensive research. Professor Severus Snape lives for the most part of the year in Hogwarts where the Key could learn magical protection. He falls under Albus Dumbledore's protection, the most powerful good wizard in centuries. There have been no reports of war from the Magical community for over a decade."

"Because they're trying to keep it quiet." A few of the monks stepped back at the slayers dangerous tone. Maybe they had been right to remove the Key if she had such a short temper.

"The Minister never said-"

"The Minister's an idiot!" Buffy burst out. "Voldemort was resurrected last summer- he killed a kid in the school, did that not flag up any warning signs for you?"

The monks exchanged more nervous looks. "Well, that was put down to a sporting accident."

"And the annual death toll was much, much less than Sunnydale High."

"Like that's an accomplishment!" Buffy threw up her arms in agitation. She was itching to slay these idiots, or at least make an example out of one of them. But, regretfully, she'd promised Giles that she wouldn't (although technically Giles didn't know she was here at all- but that what a complete oversight. Sort of). The monks were still human as Giles had reminded her a few dozen times since they had found out about Dawn. That didn't mean she couldn't rough them up a bit, a fate they certainly deserved in her opinion. Though that had probably been accomplished when the big door she'd kicked down had landed on a group of them, and then she'd chucked another monk into three others. By accident, of course. "If you even touch her again, then I will come after you- I don't care if you're human. Nobody messes with my family, and don't even think that I won't find out."

"We are only looking out for the best interests of the Key." The brave/ stupid monk spoke out again.

"Her name is Dawn." Buffy said firmly. "And I'm looking out for the best interests of my sister. We'll take steps to make sure this doesn't happen again and, unless you want your insides on your outside, don't even think about trying to test them."

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Tap, tap, tap.

What the hell?

Tap, tap.

The wind maybe? Or Draco sneaking out again?

"Con-nor. Con-nor!"

Okay, definitely not the wind. And if Draco was sneaking out, he really wasn't being particularly sneaky about it.

"Hey, Connor! I can see you moving."

"Dawn?" What was she doing outside his window in the early hours of the morning? Not that it wasn't a pleasant surprise, but he didn't exactly expect her to be the sort of girl to be instigating clandestine meetings. He hurried over and opened it and Dawn immediately jumped inside, broom in hand.

"Bout time, it's freezing out there."

Another body jumped in after her. A body that was both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time and brought all kinds of emotion to the surface. He gaped when he recognised him.

"I told you to wait outside." Dawn hissed to the man that had come in with her. She grabbed Connor roughly by the arm and started dragging him outside. "Give me a minute."

She shut his bedroom door and cast a silencing charm before Connor had the chance to say anything. Just.

"Are you insane? What did you bring him here for?" He hissed, shaking his arm free from her grip. "This isn't complicated enough as it is you had to-"

She poked him in the centre of his chest a couple of times. She didn't like being accused. "Hey, I didn't _bring_ anything. Angel was going to come and see you whether I came or not, I just thought it would be better if he had someone with him rather than just knocking down your door."

Connor brushed a hand through his hair, panic being replaced by a slightly calmer anxiety. "Does he know I know?"

"No. At least, I don't think so. He just wants to make sure you're okay. He's a good guy Connor. You'll be fine."

"You're leaving us alone?!" The panic was back tenfold. She was leaving him with his long lost vampire father, who could very well be out for revenge- good guy or not.

"Would that be such a bad thing?" She stood on tiptoes to press a light kiss to his lips. "He's not evil; just try, okay?"

"Okay." Connor agreed, somewhat reluctantly. He dropped his dad in the ocean how do you get over that? Plus the fact that he got so out-of-control that the only option left was to send him half-way across the world without his memories to start a new life.

Dawn grinned brightly at him and started to go back into the room. "Hey, do you know where your Dad would hide a bunch of demons? I was meant to try and find out the other day, but I forgot."

"…What?"

"Order stuff. _He's_ gathering demons, probably hidden somewhere in your grounds. Just wondering where that might be."

"Oh. No clue. Let me think about it." Connor said a bit bewildered. The topic had changed pretty fast.

She gave him that bright smile again and popped back into the room. Connor took a deep breath and followed her in. He saw her hiss a few words of warning to Angel (something about setting him on fire if he even thought about hurting Connor. That made him smile) and give him a quick wave before jumping out the window with her broom. A second later he saw her silhouette framed against the night sky as she flew away from the Manor. Now the distraction was gone he turned to Angel, arms folded across his chest.

Angel rocked forwards onto his toes awkwardly. He hadn't really thought this through when he'd flooed into Dawn's new goth-dad's (as Buffy now insisted on calling him) house demanding to see his son. When Wesley had broken the stone he'd been in two minds. At least now people would remember his son- which they had and the yelling had gone on for hours- and then he got very worried about how Connor would take the news. All his reports said that Connor was doing well in his new life, but he'd seen smaller secrets than this tip people over the edge. Of course, that's if he actually did remember. He hadn't been in the room when the cube had broken, but from Willow's account Dawn had found out something similar through dream projection. Would Connor know the truth now too?

"It's, uh, a nice place you've got here." He said finally.

"I know you're my father." Connor said bluntly. There was no point in messing around and he'd never been one for small talk.

"You got your memories back." Angel stated. He looked down at the plush carpet uncomfortably. This family seemed rich; at least Connor never went without anything.

"Yeah, they're mixed in with the new ones. Kind of like a bad dream. A very strange and violent, and, at times, inappropriately erotic dream."

"You probably have a lot of questions."

Connor paused. Did he have any questions? He knew the why and could guess the how and it really had worked out for the best. He'd been on a one way journey to destruction, and now he was relatively well adjusted. Besides, right now he had other things to concentrate on. Like getting Draco out of Lucius' clutches. "Not really. I can't right now, I'm sorry. I get what you did, why you did it and I'm grateful."

"I didn't mean…"

"I know." Connor was surprised to find all the hate he'd once felt for Angel had evaporated. Sure he wasn't exactly warm and fuzzy about vampires, but he'd seen what truly evil beings, like Angelus and Voldemort, could do. Angel wasn't Angelus. He got that now.

"Buffy, she said that there was trouble here." Angel said, hoping his son would deny it. He'd wanted him to get out of trouble, not get into a whole new war.

"There's some stuff going on." Connor agreed, not sure how much to reveal. "We've been helping out with stuff."

"We as in you and Buffy's sister?" Angel said with an odd look on his face. He couldn't help it, it was too strange. His son and Buffy's sister… never mind the life-remodel they'd both gone through, the family connections were enough to freak him out a little bit. He wondered how Buffy had taken it. Wait, Connor still had all his limbs. She didn't know yet.

"Me and Dawn. Yes." Connor said slightly annoyed. Would this be how everyone would react whenever he mentioned Dawn? Of course, it would be exactly like this.

"You two are careful right? I know that I can't…Well, nobody wanted you two getting hurt."

"We won't." Connor decided to reveal a little more. If anyone were to understand family… "My brother here, Draco, isn't really sure of his convictions. I just have to persuade him to stand up for himself."

"You want him go against his father."

Connor nodded somewhat surprised. He'd obviously done some research if he knew that. As if reading his mind Angel explained.

"Working at Wolfram and Hart has a few advantages. When I found out your last name I was able to do a search and found out about Lucius. Professor Dumbledore told me you were helping his Order." Angel said, pride and worry tinting his voice. Although he was proud of Connor for standing up for what's right, it did cause him no small amount of worry.

"So you pretty much know everything."

"Not enough." Angel said quietly. He noticed Connor looking uncomfortable- it was a lot to take in- so he changed the subject. "So, you're still Connor this time."

"Yeah." Connor smiled, remembering back to the time when he'd been against Angel. "Still not Irish though."

"English…" Angel said, managing to hide his grimace pretty well. "Well, you're getting closer. Maybe next time."

"Yeah." Connor said with a laugh, hoping that there wouldn't be a next time.

"You never know." Angel smiled, happy to see Connor laugh. He was definitely better adjusted now. It was all he had hoped for when he'd made the deal with Wolfram and Hart. Angel looked up at the window. It was almost dawn; if he didn't leave now then they'd both be in danger.

Connor noticed his gaze and made the connection. His smile dropped as he was reminded of the real world once again. "Where are you going?"

Angel sighed. "Professor Snape gave me a port key back to his house."

Connor nodded. He looked down, up, anywhere but the vampire in front of him. Did he want to see Angel again, would it be safe? "You know, it wouldn't be weird if I were to visit Dawn tomorrow."

Angel perked up immediately. "Really?"

He shrugged. "My fath…Lucius is pretty much throwing us together anyway; he'd be thrilled at the idea."

What was he doing? When he knew that Angel was his father he'd done everything he could to get away and now he was volunteering visits. Could a few months in the wizarding world have changed him that much? It was so confusing. Which life was real? The first one in Quortorth and L.A. or the second in England? They both seemed real, if the stone thing hadn't shattered then he would never have even suspected. But it did, and now he had a way out. After everything was sorted, he could go back to being Connor Angel and never have to see Lucius Malfoy again (he was really starting to not like that man). It could be so simple, in theory, but he knew that couldn't be the way. He'd burned those bridges long ago. Plus, Connor Angel never really existed in the first place- the son of two vampires kidnapped and brought up in a hell dimension? Yeah right.

Angel side-stepped a beam of sunlight starting to edge into the room. "So…tomorrow?"

"Yes." Connor said finally. "See you then."

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Severus could not help but admire his daughter's stubborn streak, irritating through it may be. She was not afraid to stick up for herself, or, in this case, for a formerly evil vampire currently residing in his spare bedroom.

"Dawn, he is a vampire."

"Professor Lupin's a werewolf."

"That's completely different. If you'd have told me the full story then I would never have agreed to-"

"Well duh." Dawn muttered. Why did he think she didn't tell him? Just for shits and giggles? "Dad, I trust him."

"A vampire?" He said doubtfully. The last few days had been emotional to say the least and, as much as he hated the idea of denying his daughter anything she wished right now, having his house play circus ring to all things supernatural was taking it a bit far.

"Yes. Please. He needs to be here right now. Just for a couple of days."

He relented. But then, he always did. Especially right now; he wouldn't refuse her anything. "A couple of days."

"Thank you." Dawn reached up and kissed her father on the cheek. "Hey, what time is it? Connor will be here soon."

"To meet with the vampire." Snape muttered. He'd known something was a bit off with Angel when he'd first entered his house, but Dawn hadn't mentioned anything. He'd only realised something was amiss when he'd noticed Angel drinking from a hip flask and had questioned it. To say that he'd been surprised would be an understatement.

"To meet with Angel, yes." Dawn corrected firmly.

"Is he here yet?" The vampire in question poked his head around the door.

"Speak of the devil…"

Dawn shot her father a harsh look. "Nope, he's pretty punctual so it'll probably be a couple of minutes."

Angel nodded, clearly nervous.

"Relax, it'll be fine." Dawn said with a reassuring smile. She was in a good mood. Having Buffy and her father in her life could only be a good thing, just more people that loved her. And, at least for the moment, things had reached an even keel. Living with her dad and visiting her sister. There was a good possibility that things could actually work out for the best. Talking of Buffy, she better get going.

Dawn kissed her father on the cheek and hopped into the floo to Grimmuld Place where she would be spending the day with the Sunnydale gang and letting Angel and Connor do the bondy thing on their own.

Angel looked at the clock again. Severus rolled his eyes and left; he did not want to baby-sit a vampire old enough to be his grandfather's great-grandfather. After what seemed like an age of waiting the fire went green and a bell sounded through the house signalling somebody's arrival.

Connor stepped into the hall a moment later and Angel exhaled an unnecessary breath in relief. He'd actually come. "Hi."

"Hi."

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"…So Giles needed me to take a more active roll in the Council. Then we got the call from Dumbledore saying their war was about to become our war and here I am."

Dawn grinned. She'd been doing a lot of that today- grinning, smiling, laughing. It was like the part of her she hadn't even known was missing was suddenly let loose. "Wow, an apocalypse actually working in our favour. That's definitely a new one."

"Tell me about it."

"…What?" Dawn said self-consciously seeing the way her sister was looking at her.

"Nothing, it's just…the accent. It's wiggy."

"You should hear Connor's. He's got posh brit down to a tee. At least I've still got the yankie edge."

"Because Snape sent you to boarding school on the other side of the world." Buffy frowned.

"It was for the best." Dawn tried to explain. "That way I wasn't the grumpy potions master's kid. Anyway, I was always going to go to boarding school this year."

"Not like this." Buffy said quietly. That last year in Sunnydale, she'd noticed Dawn was growing up. That's why she'd really wanted to spend the summer together travelling over Europe. She'd known that when school started, Dawn would leave and come back different. Not bad different, just different. Older, wiser and so forth. She'd known Dawn was 'becoming a woman', that soon she'd be a completely different person. This wasn't exactly what she'd have in mind.

"Still," Dawn said and even Buffy at her blondest, cheerleader, pre-slayer moments wouldn't have missed the nervousness. "We know now and it's worked out okay. I go to school and see you in the holidays."

Buffy smiled gently. Yes, she wanted Dawn right by her side at ALL TIMES. But it wasn't possible. She was travelling all over with slaying and Dawn still had school. Dawn wasn't the only one who had grown up, Buffy was responsible for the safety of every slayer and, when you thought about it, for the world. She could be reasonable. "I know. You've got to finish up school…"

Dawn almost smiled.

"…and then we can be a family again."

And there was the taffy-pulling situation rearing its ugly head again. The bullet might have been dodged for now, but sooner or later she would have to choose between her dad and her sister. That wouldn't be tough for her at all.

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"So she's a werewolf." Connor said, more than just a little sceptical.

"And an art student. She does this great pottery. She made me a vase." Angel said with a grin, he didn't care if he was talking rubbish; he and Connor were getting along!

"But it's the wolf part that really gets you. There's some full-moon love, am I right? Fur flying."

"Huh?" How does one react to that?

Connor rolled his eyes, though he was secretly pleased to be joking with an adult in this way. Lucius Malfoy does not joke or laugh or have fun in any form. "So vampires really don't understand the concept of jokes."

"I understand jokes. I was at the first taping of the Carol Burnett show. Tim Conway was on fire. It was special."

"…Okay." Connor said with a grin. He couldn't help it. They'd been talking like that for the last couple of hours, just getting to know each other and it had been so easy once they'd got started. None of the awkward silences or bitterness that he'd feared there would be. Okay, so they would probably never have a traditional father-son relationship, too much had happened, but they could have something if they wanted it.

But, just as they were getting on so well, reality raised its head and knocked on the door.

"Sorry to interrupt." Snape said stiffly. He did not like playing messenger, especially not for a vampire. "A Wesley Wyndam- Pryce has been on the floo for you. He was most insistent that you return; an emergency with one of your co-workers I believe."

"Oh, right." Angel cast an anxious look at Connor. He didn't want to leave; it was easy to forget that the world kept turning through every crisis.

"It's okay. I should probably be going anyway. I could floo to you sometime, maybe?" Connor said hesitantly. 

Angel smiled. Connor wanted to keep up contact- that was more than he could have hoped for bearing n mind how things had ended between them. "That would be good."

"Mr Malfoy, I'd like a word before you leave."

"About what?" Connor asked wearily. If Snape was going to try and choke him for dating his daughter again then he'd rather skip it.

Snape mentally rolled his eyes. It seemed that even the brightest student had dunderheaded tendencies. "Order business."

After Angel left the two, Connor made sure to keep a few paces between his person and Snape's at any one time. Not that he couldn't defend himself, he did have super strength after all, but he really didn't want to get expelled from Hogwarts for knocking out (or worse) a teacher this close to graduating. Unless it was Umbridge; then it might actually be worth it.

"Dawn told me she mentioned the possibility of there being demons held on your grounds."

"She did."

"Professor Dumbledore is hoping to find out more about what we are dealing with. Of course under no circumstances are you to look for the demons, but if you know of anything that may help…" Snape trailed off, his meaning perfectly clear.

"He wouldn't share anything like that with me."

Snape didn't need to ask who 'he' was and he felt a pang of pity for the boy. Connor was the same age as Dawn, yet he had to deal with living a total lie. The Malfoy's were not a close family, excepting the two sons, and to have to keep up the pretence could not be easy. Especially now he'd found out that his family was not his family.

"The only place I could think of was in Malfoy Forest." Connor continued.

"Anything more specific?" Snape asked. Malfoy Forest spanned several acres, and Dumbledore had assumed this to be the spot through elimination.

"Possibly. Draco and I set up a quidditch pitch in the largest clearing there when we were younger. We got built a state of the art pitch when Draco started taking it more seriously so no one uses it anymore. I can't see Lucius Malfoy searching a forest for a suitable space and the thing's unplottable so there are no maps."

"That would make sense." Snape conceded, mildly impressed by his logic.

Connor spent the next few minutes telling Snape the location of the clearing and then prepared to leave. "Uh, Professor Snape, is Dawn about?"

"No," Snape said, showing no signs of flying off into the deep end much to Connor's relief. "She's spending the day at Grimmuld Place with the guests staying there."

"You mean Buffy and Willow?"

"Yes. Them." Snape was in two minds about Dawn developing her relationship with her sister. On one hand he did want Dawn to get to know his sister again and if something ever happened to him and as a spy that wasn't impossible, then it was nice to know that she would be looked after. On the other hand the closer she got to Buffy, the more likely she would be to leave him.

"Well goodbye then." Connor said, suddenly feeling very awkward at being left alone with his girlfriend's father.

"Yes. And tread carefully, Mr Malfoy."

For the life of him, Connor couldn't work out whether he was referring to Voldemort's plans or something a little closer to home.

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The moment Connor got back to Malfoy Manor he instinctively knew something wasn't right. He heard a voice, Lucius', coming from the study and moved towards it.

"Release."

With a quick flick of his eyes around the room, Connor took in the scene. Draco was there in front of him, panting on all fours on the floor. Lucius was leaning back on the desk, arms crossed over his chest and looking rather smug.

"Nice visit son?"

"Yes, thank you." It was an effort to keep his voice neutral, but he managed it.

"Dinner's at six." Lucius said, turning his back on both his sons, knowing that they'd take it as cue to leave him be.

Connor hesitated, making sure Draco was capable of moving by himself before retreating upstairs to wait for Draco who at least seemed to be moving freely, just a little breathless. That meant it hadn't been an unforgivable.

Draco wasn't surprised to find Connor waiting for him on the upstairs landing. That was where they always met up, out of their parents hearing. He wordlessly opened his door to allow Connor through and gratefully sat down on the bed.

"What did he use?" Connor asked quietly.

"That air bubble one. You know, where you can't breathe."

Connor nodded, it was one of Lucius' favourites; to draw all the oxygen from your body, to watch them desperately gasping for breath. There was no permanent damage and the victim could recover quickly in case of unexpected visitors. That made it a perfect punishment for his sons.

"What did you do?"

"Walked in on one of his meetings. He should get a sign or something." Draco said attempting a smile. No matter how often it happened, he was always just a little bit shocked at the way his father seemed to enjoy hurting him. He wasn't as strong as Connor, never had been. The first time he'd seen Connor getting punished he'd almost admired him. At the time Connor had only been about nine, but he hadn't yelled or cried, hadn't even dropped eye contact with the man who'd put him under the curse. After lifting it, Lucius had even seemed a bit proud of his son taking the punishment in his stride.

"What? 'Illegal Death Eater meeting going on here'?" Connor said, painfully aware that his brother had flinched at the mention of his father's link with the dark arts. "Sorry I wasn't here Drake."

Draco shook his head. Why did Connor blame himself every time? "This isn't your fault. And I don't need you to look after me."

Connor bit back the retort on the tip of his tongue; he knew it wouldn't go down very well. He just silently vowed not to let this happen again.

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As Snape flooed into Grimmuld Place, he spotted the slayer sitting at the kitchen table with the watcher.

Buffy didn't bother to hide her giving him the once over. "Don't you own anything that isn't black?"

He sneered at her, paying particular attention to the silky, Christmas-red camisole. "Do you own anything that wouldn't look out of place in an Amsterdam brothel?"

"I wouldn't know; I've never been to one… Unlike some people."

"Must you two be so childish?" Giles interrupted in the long suffering way that only he could manage. "Is this really what's best for Dawn?"

"What's best for Dawn is to be with someone who loves her." Buffy said firmly, still glaring at Snape.

"I agree completely." Severus said with a look that clearly said who he thought that should be, and it wasn't a slayer. With one last glare he went to find Dumbledore. He had to tell him everything that was happening, both with his last meeting with Pettigrew and what was occurring a little closer to home.

Dumbledore greeted him warmly as always. He sat down and, as the tale unfolded, was very glad he had. It took a lot to shock the headmaster, but Snape managed to do just that in under an hour.

He looked at his friend, for once completely speechless. He'd never heard anything like it, though he had no trouble believing him. He'd seen that anything was possible. Though he hadn't put much thought to the matter of keys to dimensions and rebuilding a teenager's life.

Severus had no doubts that Dumbledore would believe him. He also had no doubts about whether or not to tell the professor. The only thing he would doubt was whether or not Dawn would approve. So he'd done the sensible thing and not told her.

"You're telling me that your daughter is not your daughter?" Dumbledore said once he'd got his thoughts in order.

"She is my daughter." Snape nearly growled. "Dawn just also happens to be Buffy Summers' sister and she remembers both occurring."

"Of course." Dumbledore could almost kick himself for making such an insensitive comment at an obviously difficult time. "Well this is a surprise Severus, and about Mr Malfoy too, but it does explain certain irregularities in their auras. And explains why they seem to be able to access more power than the other students, a great deal of magic must have been used to build so many memories."

"And feelings."

"Yes, to create _real_ feelings…such complicated magic." Dumbledore agreed, ignoring the tone in Severus' voice.

"Do you think there may be side-effects?"

"We have yet to see the signs and Dawn has been through this experience before. I have never detected anything amiss about them. I expect that both Connor and Dawn will live completely normally." Dumbledore said reassuringly. In truth he believed Connor and Dawn to be one hundred percent normal, only with a slight advantage in the amount of magic they could access which was probably residue from the complicated spell.

He suspected Dawn would cope just fine. He'd even seen her the day before, and hadn't noticed anything was strange. She even seemed cheerful. Connor on the other hand caused him to worry. He lacked the… experience that Dawn had in this particular area and the support that Severus would provide. He would have less help coming to terms with it all, and on top of that he was already having to lead a double life with the Order and his father. It wouldn't take much for him to crack.

He would definitely be keeping an eye on Connor Malfoy from now on.

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Dawn looked up in surprise as a bell sounded through the house. They weren't expecting anyone, why would the floo bell be ringing? It was probably just one of her father's acquaintances, one of the teachers from Hogwarts or someone.

As she went down the stairs she saw the back of the person, but that didn't give her any clues. He was quite tall and wiry, and wearing a long black cloak in a style that many wizards favoured with the hood pulled up over his head.

"Hi, my Dad's not here right now, can I help?"

Or that's what she meant to say. Somewhere around word five the sound got stuck in her throat as the guest turned around. Red glowing eyes, a flat face with slits for nostrils with grey skin stretched over. She'd never seen him before, but it could only be one person. Voldemort.

"Oh."

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Connor opened the window, sensing Angel's presence before he even knocked. Though Conner hadn't elaborated on the reason for requesting the meeting, Angel seemed to sense that he wasn't going to like it. As the vampire leapt lightly into the room, he was frowning; the worry lines were clearly visibly on his forehead and his gaze was more intense than normal.

"Thanks for coming." Connor murmured, trying to sort his thoughts into something that resembled order.

For a moment Angel looked almost surprised (why wouldn't he come?) but it faded quickly. "No problem."

"Look, this isn't easy for me-"

"Is it about me being a vampire?" Angel interrupted. "Because I don't know what Snape said, but would never hurt you."

"I know." Connor said, a little surprised to feel that he actually meant it. "And he didn't say anything about you."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Besides, there's nothing he could say that I didn't already know. If my memories aren't enough, then we studied you guys in History of Magic."

"So if it's not that…" Angel asked, not needing to ask the question and not wanting to dwell on his past. He didn't like talking about it, he wasn't proud of Angelus' actions.

"It's Draco. He's still looking at the world from Lucius' viewpoint and if he doesn't start thinking for himself soon then… Well, you know."

"So you want me to leave." Angel said, kicking the carpet like an upset little boy.

"I'm sorry, but you can't be here right now, there's too much going on and I really have to focus on my brother. If I don't then…" Connor looked up, surprised to see Angel staring at him intently when he'd barely lifted his eyes from the floor during the whole visit. He heard familiar voices downstairs, death eater voices. Angel heard them too; they both knew that this was it.

Connor started to leave, intent on getting to Draco and getting them out of the way before the torture started, but he stopped a few feet from the door and turned back to Angel.

"You gotta do what you can to protect your family. I learned that from my father."

And, with one final look back, he left.

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Okay, I'll be on holiday for two weeks in a few days, but the update should be up shortly after I get back. Things are kicking off now! Let me know what you think.

Kiara


	11. Yesterday

THE KEY'S VESSEL by Kiara

**DISCLAIMER**: Harry Potter stuff, not mine. Buffy stuff, not mine.

**A/N:** Once again, sorry for the delay. Lost internet connection and had to wait for someone to come out and fix it. On the upside, the next chapter will be up in a few days as it's nearly finished.

**Deliver Me From Evil by Kiara**

**PART NINE- YESTERDAY**

_**3**__**rd**__** January. Grimmuld Place. Yesterday.**_

"_Miss Summers, if you wouldn't mind."_

_Buffy rolled her eyes at the formal address, but all humour left her face as she saw the stern looks on Dumbledore, Giles and Snape's faces. There were two others present, Order members whom Buffy had yet to meet. "What's going on?"_

"_I'm afraid our fears have been confirmed." Dumbledore said gravely. He nodded to the large black man next to him. "Kingsley, please fill Miss Summers in."_

"_It's like nothing we've ever seen before. The higher-ups in the Ministry are telling everyone that it's a genetic mutation- the result of a spell gone awry."_

"_You've lost me- what's happened?"_

"_Voldemort has succeeded in creating magical-demon hybrids. There were reports of Red Caps, which are usually repelled by the simplest of magic, needing advanced charms to overcome. Ingrid Bathes has a nasty bump on her head. It could have been much worse." Dumbledore said gravely. "We knew this could happen- that's why we asked you here. It means Voldemort is gaining confidence, it means he is readying his army."_

"_Okay…now what?"_

_Dumbledore looked surprised. "Why, I've no idea. That's why we need _your_ help."_

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**4****th**** January. Spinners End. Today.**

The first thing Dawn was aware of when she woke up was that she wasn't alone, but she recognised the platinum blond head lolled forward and resting on the edge of her bed instantly. What was Draco doing in her room? Then she saw Connor sleeping in the armchair on the other side of her bed. What were they doing here? And why did she ache so badly?

Then it all came flooding back.

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_**3**__**rd**__** January. Spinners End. Yesterday.**_

_Dawn looked up in surprise as a bell sounded through the house. They weren't expecting anyone, why would the floo bell be ringing? It was probably just one of her father's acquaintances, one of the teachers from Hogwarts or someone. _

_As she went down the stairs she saw the back of the person, but that didn't give her any clues. He was quite tall and wiry, and wearing a long black cloak in a style that many wizards favoured. _

"_Hi, my Dad's not here right now, can I help?"_

_Or that's what she meant to say. Somewhere around word five the sound got stuck in her throat as the guest turned around. Red glowing eyes, a flat face with slits for nostrils with grey skin stretched over. She'd never seen him before, but it could only be one person. Voldemort._

"_Oh."_

_She froze on the stairs, foot hovering between steps. What was He doing here? Why hadn't he called Snape to him? Unless he was here for a different member of the Snape family. A younger, more female Snape perhaps. _

"_Miss Snape." The S was drawn out. Like a snake hissing before it bit you and infected you with some kind of deadly poison._

_Her eyes darted around the room. Why hadn't she taken her father up on the offer to go to headquarters? Just so she could write a stupid letter. And now she could not escape._

"_Severus has failed to come to me." Voldemort continued, obviously not expecting an answer. "Where is he?"_

"_H-He's not here." Dawn answered in a breath of a whisper. Inside her brain was yelling 'stall! Stall!' But stall for what? No one was coming to help her._

_His eye's flashed that bit darker. "I called for him specifically." _

"_He's at a meeting with Dumbledore." Dawn said. She knew she couldn't lie directly to the Dark Lord, he would know immediately (she'd never been amazing at occulemcy), her only hope was to fob him off with half-truths._

_The eyes flashed again and when he spoke he sprayed a little spit which under any other circumstances would be comical. "Dumbledore."_

"_Yes, err, Lord." She was not entirely sure of the correct to address and evil wizard, but he called himself the Dark Lord so that seemed like a good way to go._

_It was the second time in as many days that Severus had put off meeting his 'master' to meet with Dumbledore and Voldemort was not happy about it. He knew Severus was spying for their side, but what little information he managed to get was rarely of any great importance. It helped, but most often it just confirmed what Voldemort had already assumed to be so. And now when he had specifically asked for Snape he was meeting with one of Voldemort's least favourite wizards in the world. No, he was not pleased with this development._

_A bell went throughout the house and the fire flared green. Voldemort raised his wand and pointed it at the fireplace, ready to kill if whoever was coming through was an enemy of his. The first person stepped out and then a second later another stepped through. _

_Voldemort recognised them immediately as Lucius Malfoy's sons and held his fire to gage their reaction. The older boy looked around, taking in the scene far more quickly than one would expect. As soon as he caught sight of the evil wizards standing in the middle of the room, he dropped down to one knee, dragging his confused brother down with him._

"_My Lord." Connor murmured, head bowed respectfully, but in his mind he was cursing up a storm. He'd seen Dawn standing mid-way down the stairs, so he at least knew that she was alive, but no sign of her father. Why was you-know-who here? And what does he want with Dawn?_

_Voldemort nodded. The boy would make an adequate replacement for Lucius. He had respect and would be able to teach it to his young brother. And he had power, the magic in his aura was so strong he could feel it across the room. And it was same with Snape's daughter. It wasn't like ordinary magics, it was as if they had been touched by something darker. He wondered what it was, had they just been toying with magix trips? Whatever the cause, the dark power was there. It could be an asset to the cause. He wouldn't kill them yet._

"_Miss Snape," It was those hissing s' again. "You will inform your father of the inconvenience he has caused. It has displeased me. It will not happen again."_

_He started moving to the fireplace, past where Draco was kneeling white-as-a-sheet on the floor. Draco let out the breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. The Dark Lord was leaving and no one had gotten hurt. Yet._

_Voldemort stopped a few paces from the fire and turned. "It will not happen again." He repeated. He raised his wand at Dawn. "Cruico."_

_She fell down the rest of the stairs as the pain took over her body. Every nerve in her body was burning with pain as the floor approached. She banged her head on the bottom step and everything went black._

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**4****th**** January. Spinners End. Today.**

She'd fallen down the stairs, well that explained the headache, and the fact that Connor was still there. She wasn't surprised to find that he hadn't left her, he could be a bit of a worry wart. Dawn felt an involuntary shiver go down her spine. Voldemort had been here. He'd cursed her. He could have killed her easily, and that would take a bit of getting used to.

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_**3**__**rd**__** January. Spinners End. Yesterday.**_

_Connor's heart leapt as he saw Dawn fall. But he couldn't move, he was frozen to the spot. He could still hear her heart beat as she fell into unconsciousness and that was the only thing that stopped him from jumping up, blowing all of their covers and getting them all killed. Voldemort kept the curse on for another second before flooing away without another word._

_He ran over. "Dawn? Dawn? Can you hear me?"_

"_Is she okay?" Draco's hoarse voice came, still kneeling where Connor had dragged him down._

_Dawn's eyelid's fluttered. "Connor?" She managed before passing out again._

"_She'll be fine. No thanks to that bastard."_

_Draco wisely stayed quiet. He'd almost been programmed to defend Voldemort by his father, but that wouldn't be what Connor wanted to hear right now. It wasn't even what Draco wanted to hear._

_He watch as his brother carefully lifted Dawn into his arms and easily carried her up the stairs and into her room, all the time a worried look on his face._

"_Stay with her." Connor commanded, dropping a kiss onto Dawns lips and brushing her hair away from her face._

"_Where are you going?"_

"_I've got to get help."_

"_You can't! Dad-"_

"_For Christ's sake Draco! Did you not see what he did to her? Just stay here."_

_He was torn. He knew that Connor would be going to Dumbledore. He knew that if Dumbledore caught his father then it would be the Azkaban for sure. It should have been easy, go and warn his family, betraying Connor's secret in the process. So why hadn't he left yet?_

_He was on the verge of leaving when he heard Dawn groan. He was by her side in a flash, holding her hand and biting his lower lip anxiously. He'd seen people suffering from the after effects of the crucious curse before, had even felt them to an extent when his Father had used a rather weak version to discipline him. But he suspected that it was the fall down the stairs that was doing the most damage, that was what was keeping her unconscious. _

_He looked over his shoulder, hoping to see Connor returning with help. For once he would be glad to see Dumbledore._

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**4****th**** January. Spinners End. Today.**

"Hey, you're awake. How are you feeling?" Connor said, making Dawn jump. She hadn't heard him move. He shrugged sheepishly. "I heard your breathing change. Are you okay?"

Right. That's not weird at all.

"What happened?" Dawn asked, softly so not to wake Draco who was still sleeping and holding onto her hand.

"Voldemort cruicoed you. Are you okay?"

Dawn nodded. "A bit achy but fine. Where's my dad?"

"He hasn't come back yet."

"Back from where?" Dawn asked, a cold dread filling her stomach.

"He went to his meeting with Voldemort last night. He hasn't come back yet." Connor said, he too was worried for his head-of-house. He'd gotten on well with Professor Snape. Well, until he'd started going out with his daughter at least.

"What?"

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_**3**__**rd**__** January. 12 Grimmuld Place. Yesterday.**_

_Sirius looked up when Connor flooed into the house. He couldn't help but glare at the Malfoy heir standing in his kitchen. _

"_What do you want?"_

"_Dawn. She was attacked, she's hurt." Connor said shortly._

"_What? By who?" Sirius got to his feet immediately. There had been very little action since Arthur's attack and he'd forgotten how quickly he was able to get into the thick of action._

"_Voldemort was looking for Professor Snape. She fell down the stairs and when I left her she was unconscious. I have to get back to her." Connor rarely felt so out of control. He couldn't help but fidget, keeping on glancing back to the fireplace as if he could see through it to where Dawn was lying._

"_Professor Dumbledore's talking with Snape. I'll get them." Sirius said, already halfway out the kitchen to get them and leaving Connor nervously shifting from foot to foot._

_Connor heard Sirius' low voice, obviously telling Dumbledore and Snape what had occurred in urgent whispers. It had only been a few seconds, but Connor raised his left wrist in an attempt to check the time, only to growl in frustration when he realized he wasn't wearing a watch. What was taking so long?_

_A moment later Snape strode through the room, briefly looking at Connor before he moved to the fireplace. _

"_Wait." Connor said, finally finding his voice. Snape stopped and turned around, glaring at Connor for stopping him from going to his daughters as quickly as possible. "Shouldn't you tell Bu-"_

"_She's on a mission. She just left with the rest of her friends on reconnaissance." Snape interrupted, leaving Sirius baffled. He stepped into the fire, followed immediately be Connor. When Severus found himself back in his own house, he immediately made for the stairs, his long legs easily carrying him up them two at a time._

_He burst into the room, relieved to see Dumbledore standing next to the bed. The headmaster had apperated to Spinners Lane as soon as he'd heard the news, leaving Severus to curse the slower option of floo travel being the only one available to him. Only the secret keeper could apperated to or from a safe house. _

"_She'll be fine, Severus." Dumbledore reassured him calmly. "Just took a knock to the head."_

"_Why isn't she awake?" Severus said panicked, clutching his daughters' hand like a life line._

"_She will." Dumbledore paused, knowing that the former Death Eater would not like what he had to say next. "Severus, you should go."_

"_Go? Go where? I'm not leaving Dawn." Snape said firmly._

"_Voldemort called you. He will not accept excuses, you must go to him." Dumbledore said just as firmly. Having the Dark Lord return to the house to fetch Snape would not be good. Dumbledore sent a look Draco, who was still sitting by Dawn's bed holding the hand her father wasn't, and to Connor who was standing just inside the window. He did not want them reminding Severus that Voldemort was the reason behind his daughter's pain. It might make him reckless. "I can ask Molly to sit with Dawn. Do you know where to go?"_

_Severus looked up, catching Draco's eye as he did so and the boy quickly avoided his gaze. "I have a fair idea."_

"_Good. Perhaps you boys should be leaving too?" Dumbledore said, leaving the reason why he made the request, less anyone get suspicious, silent._

"_I won't leave Dawn." Connor asserted clearly. "My… Father would not question it if I were to be here."_

_Snape almost smiled hearing his daughter's boyfriend's words. His feelings for her were becoming more obvious by the day, and he found it reassuring that there would be someone else looking out for her._

"_Me neither." Draco said, much quieter than his brother had spoken. Snape spared him a glance and was surprised. He'd never seen the youngest Malfoy look so lost and conflicted. Maybe there was hope for him yet._

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**4****th**** January, Spinners End. Today.**

"I can't believe he went to see him." Dawn muttered.

"He didn't have that much choice. You heard what Voldemort said. If your Dad hadn't gone then he would have just come back." Connor said smoothly, understanding her worry. Voldemort had obviously not been pleased when Severus had failed to turn up for their meeting.

"I know that, doesn't mean I like it." She snapped.

He recoiled. "Sorry."

Dawn managed to hang onto her anger for about a second more. "No, I'm sorry. I know you're right, I'm just worried about him."

"You don't have to apologize for being worried about your dad." He pulled his chair closer to the bed and took Dawn's hand., rubbing his thumb over the back of her knuckles.

"Do you think he'll be okay?"

"Yeah, I do. Voldemort think's he's a spy right? He can't afford to loose that."

"You think?"

"I do."

"Thanks." She wanted to be thinking about something other than her father right now or she'd go insane with worry. "So how'd it go with Angel?" Dawn asked, propping herself up on her pillows.

Connor looked anxiously to where Draco was still sound asleep. He rubbed the back of his head uncomfortably. He had a feeling that Dawn would not like his answer. "…I asked him to leave."

"What? Why?"

"I just did. There are bigger things going on right now. Voldemort was in your sodding living room for fucks sake." He shoved himself away from the bed, making it rock violently, and paced the room.

Draco jerked awake at his brother's raised voice and raised one eyebrow at Connor's unusual display of emotion, but he'd been forgotten by the other members of the room.

"Connor, sit down." Dawn said quietly. For a moment she thought he was going to ignore her, but the he sat down looking wearier than ever she'd seen him. She moved forward onto her knees and put her hand over his. "You don't have to be strong all the time you know."

"What are you talk-"

"No." She put a finger to his lips. "Just stop."

Draco, who had been watching with interest up until this point, but he looked away when he heard his brother take a shuddering breath. This was all wrong. Connor didn't break, he didn't even crack a little bit. He was just… Connor! Strong, dependable Connor with his perfect image that never failed. And to see him bending a little bit, not breaking, never breaking, was strange.

"I thought he was going to kill you." He whispered.

"Me too." Dawn admitted. She'd never been as scared as she had been yesterday, well not in this lifetime anyway. "But he didn't."

"Not this time."

"And he won't, we're ready now. We're not powerless." Dawn rested her forehead on his and kissed him lightly. The attack seemed to have effected him worse than her, but then it was often worse for the ones forced to watch.

"Mmm." He wasn't naïve. He knew there was a good possibility that he wouldn't live, but he hadn't thought about someone else dying and leaving him. There would be people left behind. He could die tomorrow. Dawn could have died yesterday. He felt the need to do something decidedly un-dead-like and, being an eighteen year old boy, did the first thing he thought of and kissed his girlfriend.

Draco looked up and rolled his eyes. "Well if you two are just gonna do that, then I'll go."

He didn't get a response, not surprising really. No one ever noticed when he left.

"Hey Drake," He looked around at Dawn's voice and saw her head poking out over his brothers shoulder.

"Yeah?" He answered, determinedly ignoring his older brother who was still kissing Dawn's neck. He most definitely did not want to know.

"Thanks for sticking about."

He nodded and left. Truth be told he was not really looking forward to going home. He knew that his father would have heard about the events of last night, there had been a Death Eater gathering at his house last night. He just hoped he wouldn't ask any questions.

Dawn pulled back for air. "Don't think I forgot what we were talking about."

"Huh?"

"Angel."

"No, I'm Connor. Any other guy would be jealous."

She whacked him on the arm and his smirk vanished.

"Look, I just don't have time to deal with that right now. Afterwards, yes." Connor said, hoping she wouldn't push it any further.

She looked at him, trying to assess whether he was lying to get her off his back. "Okay."

"Okay?" He moved in again.

"Okay."

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_**3**__**rd**__** January. Malfoy Manor. Yesterday.**_

_When Severus flooed into Malfoy Manor he found a house elf waiting for him. He was obviously expected._

"_I is to take Mister Snape to the Drawing Room." The little creature said by way of a greeting._

_He nodded tightly, not bothering to correct the elf on his proper 'professor' title. Lucius insisted on him having a guide every time he visited, it was quite annoying. He knew the way to the drawing room perfectly well, and it was always the place where he met the Dark Lord (many a secret room or passageway branched of it)._

"_Severus." Lucius said, shaking the spy's hand when he entered._

"_Lucius." He returned neutrally. _

"_You're expected in the Marshment Room." Lucius approached a painting and waved his wand. Immediately it swung open and he stepped through. "I trust my sons are still at your house."_

"_Yes. Dawn asked that Connor stay." He followed Lucius into the narrow passageway._

"_She did, eh?" Lucius said in a 'nudge, nudge, wink, wink' manner._

_Snape glared at the back of his head. He disapproved of their relationship on principle, just as he would disagree with any relationship his daughter might have. He did not appreciate Lucius rubbing his nose in it._

_Severus couldn't help but shiver as he walked down the corridor, and it wasn't from the cool draft. He was angry, furious even, at the thing (for Voldemort hadn't enough humanity left in him to be a man) who had hurt his daughter, the most precious being in his life and one of the very few good things to come out of his foray into the Dark Arts. He was also scared. Voldemort had come into his house, that meant he was gaining confidence, and taken his anger out on Dawn. What would the evil wizard do now the 'Death Eater' who had caused that frustration was in his sights?_

_All too quickly he was standing in the medieval looking room. It was almost completely round, with a small notch __at one end that Severus knew led to another passageway. The walls were grey stone and there were no windows, the only light coming from the flaming torches. It looked entirely too much like a dungeon for anyone to be comfortable (and not like the dungeons at Hogwarts that some people, Snape included, found cozy). _

"_Severus."_

"_My Lord." He replied, trying to keep the apprehension out of his voice._

"_You have news?"_

_Severus was struck by the normalcy of it all for a moment. "Yes. Dumbledore has asked me to teach the Potter boy occlumency for his protection."_

"_I suspected he might teach the boy himself, perhaps he is not as close as I first thought… Never mind, it is not of significance." He turned back to face his minion sharply. "That is where you were today?"_

"_I'm sorry, my Lord, Dumbledore requested-"_

_Voldemort's eyes narrowed further, becoming tiny slits in his head. "I have no interest in your apologies, Severus." _

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**4****th**** January. Malfoy Manor. Today.**

When Draco stepped through the fire into his own house he suddenly felt much more tired. The Snape house may be small, the furniture worn and old, but it felt more homely than Malfoy Manor did. He intended to go straight to his room and get some proper sleep- a few hours in Dawn's armchair didn't really cut it.

"Draco."

He span around at his father's voice and was surprised to see him smiling. Lucius Malfoy hardly ever smiled; smirked, yes but no genuine smiling.

"Yes?"

"You did well last night, son. The Dark Lord was impressed, with both you and your brother." Lucius said, still smiling. It was everything a Death Eater such as himself asked for.

"Oh. Thanks." He watched one of his friends get injured and his father was proud of him?

Lucius ignored his son's hesitance. "You should feel privileged, Draco; not many are allowed to meet the Dark Lord, outside of his inner circle of course. That you and Connor got to, and before you've even finished school…" He shook his head, seemingly overcome with the 'honour' placed upon his family. "Well done."

Draco nodded, torn in two. On one hand he now had the attention he'd craved from his father. On the other it wasn't really how he wanted it.

"Is your brother still with Severus' daughter?"

More nodding. "Yes, he's with Dawn."

"I'll call him back soon; we're having a family dinner at six."

"Fantastic." He muttered to his father's retreating back before going upstairs to his room where he engaged in a little therapy of the destruction-of-personal-property variety.

Ten minutes later his room was covered in feathers from his pillows and various odds and ends that he'd thrown about. He looked at the mess in satisfaction for a minute before starting the charms that would clean the mess up. Malfoy Manor had wards around it to prevent the Ministry from sensing magic (underage or otherwise) and he would rather clean himself than call for a House Elf and risk his parents finding out about his little tantrum.

He scowled as he worked. Damn cleaning. Damn stupid feathers that got everywhere and damn the shattered glass from picture frames. But most of all, damn sodding Voldemort.

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**4****th**** January. Spinners End. Today.**

When Severus returned to his house (many hours later- he'd gone to Order headquarters to regain his strength before seeing his daughter again), he was struck by the quiet. He walked upstairs to his daughter's room and knocked quietly on the door.

"Dawn?"

No answer. He pushed the door open quietly and peeked in. What he saw almost had him yelling at his daughter and her boyfriend. They were both asleep on her bed, his arms wrapped around her protectively. It took a moment for him to notice that they were both on top of the covers and fully clothed. He still scowled through, being the overprotective father, but he backed out quietly allowing them there rest.

He went back downstairs, intending to find something that they could eat for dinner but the fireplace started glowing. What now?

Lucius' face soon appeared in the green fire and Severus had to stop himself from grimacing to see him. News of Death Eater activity was not what he wanted to hear right now.

"Severus. You have something that belongs to me?" Seeing the potions master's blank look, Lucius elaborated. "My son."

Severus couldn't help but look upwards to where Dawn's room was as he answered. "He's with Dawn."

"Busy?"

"Sleeping." Snape snapped, getting fed up of Lucius' innuendos.

"Of course. Would you deign to tell him that dinner is in at six? I expect him to be here on time."

With that, Lucius' face vanished from the fire and Snape was left alone. He sighed and headed back upstairs, somewhat reluctant to wake them from their peaceful sleep.

He knocked louder this time and when he entered, the pair were stirring. When Dawn opened her eyes and saw her father standing at the foot of her bed she looked panicked. She knew how overprotective he was and didn't want to upset him.

Severus ignored his daughter's worry and turned to Connor. "Your father has requested to be home in time for dinner."

Connor looked outside where darkness was setting in. "I better go then."

"See you soon?"

"Count on it." Connor replied with a smile and, mindful her father was in the room, kissed her on the cheek before getting up. "Professor."

Snape nodded in return and stood back to let him pass. A minute later he heard the tell-tale whoosh of floo powder and knew Connor had left.

"Are you okay? When you didn't come back I was so worried, especially when Connor told me where you'd gone." Dawn babbled.

"I'm fine, Dawn. I'm more worried about you."

She waved off his concern. "Madam Pomfrey came by earlier and said I was fine- no prolonged concussion or anything."

Severus let out a sigh of relief. If anything had happened then he would have never forgiven himself. "I'm sorry I wasn't here, and for getting you involved with this. I think it would be best if you went back to school in America."

"What? No way! I'm not leaving you now, and besides do you think that if the Dark Lord really wanted to get to me I'd be safe anywhere?"

"Dawn-"

"No, I'm staying here with you. This wasn't your fault, Dad. And I'm fine, no harm done. I know what's going on here, and I need to stay." She pleaded. Ever since she'd received her other memories, she'd felt the need to be part of the fight even more so. It was who she was.

"If anything happened to you I don't know what I'd do." Severus admitted.

"I'm safer here." Dawn said quietly, not showing how much her father's words had affected her. "Here I've got you and Dumbledore and Connor to protect me, and Buffy, Willow and Giles. If I went away I'd be all on my own, well until I came back, which I would do. Sorry, Pops; looks like your not getting rid of me that easy."

He smiled at her attempt at humor. "I would never want to."

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Look for the next chapter in a few days- it's almost ready. 'Till then, .please review!!


	12. What More?

THE KEY'S VESSEL by Kiara

**Deliver Me From Evil by Kiara**

**PART TEN- WHAT MORE?**

Connor sighed. "You done yet?"

"Just a minute…" Dawn murmured, chewing the end of her quill. She was just putting the final touches to the last of her holiday assignments.

Connor looked over her shoulder and read the last paragraph. "You spelt 'colour' the American way again."

She bit her tongue to stop herself snapping at him. He was just trying to be helpful. Never mind that he was starting to come across as a know-it-all. "I guess that's one of the dangers when you go to school in America for six years."

Severus rolled his eyes as he watched their exchange, just as he did whenever he saw them together. "Are you ready to go?"

"One second…and done." She added the final full stop with a flourish and stood up. "I'm good to go."

The trio went downstairs and flooed to Grimmuld Place. When Severus had been asked to go to Order headquarters, he had known he wanted his daughter with him. He didn't want her out of his sight right now.

Buffy was sitting in the kitchen with Giles going over battle plans. The second Dawn stepped through the fire, Buffy was hugging her. "Dawnie; how are you?"

"I'm fine." Dawn said with a smile. Buffy didn't know about what had happened, Professor Dumbledore was the only person who knew the full story and he'd been asked not to tell anyone. The last thing anyone needed was a pissed off, worried Buffy. She'd end up doing something rash or getting insanely overprotective and that wouldn't help anyone.

"Not getting into trouble? Doing all your schoolwork? Eating enough vegetables?"

"No, yes, and of course." Dawn said with a roll of her eyes. Buffy had been rather nag-y of late, possibly overcompensating for the few months they'd been apart.

"Just checking," Buffy said with a grin. She was proud of the speed that Dawn had bounced back from this revelation, being part Snape seemed to have done her some good, although coming back from the weird and crazy was definitely a Summers trait.

"How's the mission?"

"You know, the usual. Found the bad guys, followed the bad guys, killed the bad guys and went for dinner. We had Italian."

"Oooh Italian!"

Behind her Connor folded his arms and took a step back. He'd never meet Buffy (in either life) and somehow he'd thought she'd be taller, she was even shorter than Dawn and it was difficult to imagine the petite blond taking on the underworld. Then Buffy turned his eyes on him and hardened and he had no doubt to the power she held.

"Hi. You must be Connor." She said releasing her sister.

"Buffy…" Dawn warned, hearing the undertone in her sister's voice.

"What? I can be nice Dawn. I just wanted to meet the infamous Connor."

Connor smiled nervously. "Hi."

Giles cleared his throat. "Buffy, we have to go or we'll miss our train."

"Where you going?" Dawn asked, giving Giles a quick hug hello.

"Dumbledore's sending us on a mission. Again. Apparently when there's no rest for the wicked, there's no rest for the rest of us either. Anyway, we're heading to the Dripping Caldron and checking out a possible uprising of Bowtrunkly-things which shouldn't be uprising, but are." Buffy said forcibly offhandedly. "Means I won't be around for a while."

"I go back to school tomorrow anyway."

"Sorry I can't take you with me, it's just-"

"Buff, it's okay. I get it- I know how important this is. And maybe when it's over we could spend some more time together." Dawn said with a smile. Buffy and her dad had come to a sort of truce over the last few days. Whilst the war was still on, Buffy was heading all over England fighting demons and Snape was based at home. Buffy was not stupid, she only wanted what was best for her sister and until the war was over that was not with her.

"I'll be in touch as soon as I can. And, hey, you'll be done with school soon." Buffy said with a sad smile. She'd be hunting demons for a few weeks minimum, and while she didn't like it she knew that it had to be done.

"Right." Dawn said quickly with an overly bright smile. She really didn't need Buffy saying anything about her leaving England and living with her sister. She didn't know what she was going to, and she didn't want to hurt her brain thinking about it.

"Stay safe, tell me everything." Buffy managed to remember not to squeeze to tight when she hugged Dawn. To everyone's surprise, Buffy then moved to hug the two wizards in the room.

Connor managed not to flinch when the slayers grasp tightened around his shoulders. He recognised the show of strength when he saw it.

"Hurt her and you're dead." Buffy hissed in his ear before moving to Severus. She gave him a gentler hug, and wasn't surprised when he didn't really return the gesture. "Take good care of her."

Severus nodded. Of course he would take care of her. Dawn's sister was beginning to grow on him; anyone that had his daughter's best interests at heart couldn't be all bad and Buffy clearly cared about Dawn.

After Buffy and Giles had left, Snape sent Connor and Dawn into the living room (and was somewhat surprised that they didn't protest when he sent them out) so that he could talk to Dumbledore about 'Order Business'. He had not had a chance to relay to the headmaster all that Voldemort had said in Malfoy Manor, he had been anxious to return to his injured daughter at the time.

After the events of two days ago, Dawn was happy to take a back seat for a while, hence her not putting up any protest when her father ordered her from the room. The most evil wizard of her time had been in her house, had cursed her. It was enough to give her confidence a knock for a while.

Connor barely managed not to roll his eyes and sigh when he saw Harry effing Potter and company already in the room. He flopped down in an armchair and prepared for the 3rd degree. Fan-frigging-tastic.

"Hello." Dawn said when she came in. She was always civil to the three Gryffindors and they extended her the same courtesy. Or at least Hermione did. Harry kept the pouty glares to a simmer and Ron even extended her a few grunts.

"Dawn. Malfoy." Ron grunted, glaring at the older boy and received a dig in the ribs from Hermione for his lack of manners.

Connor raised a hand in greeting before snagging Dawn around the waist and pulling her down so she was sitting on his lap. If he was going to put up with the golden trio's company, then he wanted someone who he actually liked with him as a barrier.

"How was your New Years?" Dawn asked.

"Okay." Harry shrugged.

"Sirius isn't really looking forward to us going back to Hogwarts though." Hermione offered politely, ignoring the irritated look she got from Harry for bringing up his fugitive godfather in front of the 'enemy' (despite the fact that they saw him regularly)

"Can't be easy all cooped up." Dawn said, shifting herself on her boyfriend's lap to get more comfortable.

The only-slightly-forced small talk between the girls went on for a few more minutes, Connor never entering the conversation. He just rested his chin on Dawn's shoulder and listened, he'd never been very chatty anyway, particularly with people he didn't like. He had no interest in talking to Harry, Ron or Hermione and was glad when Dawn turned back to him and they had their own conversation.

"So, what do you think of Malfoy?" Ron asked, jerking his thumb over his shoulder to where Connor and Dawn were talking in low tones. "Evil or not?"

"Dumbledore wouldn't have asked him to help out if there was any chance he might not be on our side." Hermione said with the air of someone tired of making the same argument over and over.

"He's Lucius Malfoy's son. You know, the bloke that nearly killed my sister." Ron hissed.

Hermione softened immediately. She may have been frozen during the time that Ginny had been kidnapped in their second year, but she had seen how much nearly losing his sister had shaken Ron. "He's not going to do anything like that."

"Can you really be sure?"

"No." Harry said, putting up a hand to stall Hermione's protests. "You can never be sure. My parents were practically murdered by one of their best friends. We just have to be careful."

The other two agreed and their conversation turned to other topics, namely the imminent return to Hogwarts.

Over the other side of the room, Connor had been listening intently. His respect for Potter rose a couple of notches (from none, to a tiny bit) as the boy refused to blindly follow Dumbledore. Maybe he did have a mind of his own, however unlikely that might seem.

"So what are they talking about?" Dawn asked.

He kissed her forehead. "Nothing important."

They sat on opposite sides of the living room, both groups talking under their breaths and casting the occasional fugitive look at the other side. After a while, Connor started getting restless- a new development that was getting increasingly annoying. As the son of two vampires, he had a lot of energy which needed to be burned off. He heard the commotion outside before anyone else and was glad for the potential distraction.

The minute they heard voices, the golden trio jumped up and went to the hallway to see what was happening.

"Come on," Connor pulled Dawn to her feet. "You'll definitely want to see this."

"What's going…Oh. My. God."

"Brat? Junior? What the hell are you doing here?"

"What are we doing here? What are you doing here Faith?"

"They know her?" Harry whispered, but Ron was still giggling over the 'Junior' comment.

"Everything's fucked up." Faith swore, earning a glare and a tut from Molly Weasley. "I haven't had this many dreams since Sunnydale sunk and they don't make any sense. You know when it started? When Albus invited me here. So then I try to get hold of Angel and where is he? Here. Notice the connection? Now this idiot-"

"Name's Dung."

"Really? Bad luck, dude. So Dung has no idea who Angel is but Wes definitely said Angel was with Buffy here and then the slayer senses went crazy and I knew I had to come here and then I picked up a stray who invited herself along with me and got us stopped and detained in customs and I've never talked this fricking long in my life."

"You sound like Buffy." Dawn agreed.

Faith glared at her darkly. "I need sleep. Dreamless sleep, preferably when nothing wakes me up and tries to kill me."

"Maybe we should take this somewhere more private?" Connor interrupted, seeing all the Order members listening intently around them.

Faith stared at him. "You know, they told me you were a Giles now but I don't think I believed it."

"Yes, because that's the main point here." Connor muttered, leading Faith into another room. "And why exactly did you bring that?"

"I didn't bring anything. She just decided to come along."

"Who is it?" Dawn asked, eyeing Faith's travel companion warily.

"I am Illyria, old one. It was my destiny to rule my kingdom, just as it was yours link our worlds together."

Both Faith and Connor near got whiplash turning to look at a very wide-eyed Dawn so quickly. "What?!"

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Snape knocked on his daughter's door. "Dawn? Are you okay? You left headquarters rather quickly."

She smiled brightly. Too brightly. "I'm fine."

"Really?"

"Totally!"

"Very well. Dinner will be ready shortly."

"Awesome!"

He paused at her door. "One more thing, who's that?"

The minute she turned, her overly bright smile dropped. She ground her teeth in frustration. "I thought I asked you to stay in the bathroom."

She cocked her head to one side. "I heard noises."

A second women emerged from the bathroom, unlike the formers slightly awkward mannerisms, this one oozed confidence. "Looks like the jig is up lil' D."

"I don't suppose you would like to explain?" Severus said coolly. He felt he was doing a rather admirable job of staying calm considering there was a blue woman and some kind of muggle standing in his daughter's room not a week after Voldemort has walked in his house.

"Not really." Dawn said with a wince. It was weird even for her standards. She saw by the look on her father's face that he was having none of it. "I told the Order that Faith's a friend from school. She's a slayer, the second after Buffy. Illyria is…a long story."

Snape eyed the blue woman warily. Had she even blinked since he had entered the room? Right then she blinked. Could she read his mind? Could she see what he was thinking? Why was she staring at him? "Then you should probably start now."

"Illyria is an Old One, an ancient God who has taken over the body of this girl who used to work for Angel, Fred. She's got it into her head that the Key is this great mystical thing which, in her time, linked the God's worlds. She's pledged her dedication to the Key and apparently thinks the best way to show that is to be my bodyguard."

Faith couldn't help but smirk at the look on Dawn's new-dad's face. "And I'm just here for the ride. See, Dawnie, it wasn't that long of a story."

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"Ah-hem."

The Prime Minister froze upon hearing the soft cough, hoping he was mistaken. That cough was always followed by a large migraine. As he turned around, he noticed that the room was empty and his heart sank.

"Hello?"

"To the Prime Minister of Muggles. Urgent we meet immediately. Sincerely, Fudge." The voice from the portrait recited crisply.

"Well…actually I was on my way out." The Prime Minister replied quietly. He really didn't want to have this meeting. He knew that it wouldn't end well.

The froglike man looked disapproving, his silver wig glinting as the Prime Minister turned on his desk light.

"Oh, very well." The Prime Minister agreed weakly. "I'll see Fudge."

The Prime Minister watched the little man disappear from his portrait, how that was possible he didn't want to know, and a second later his office fire flamed bright green. As he waited for the alarming entrance to be complete, the Prime Minister thought back to his first meeting with Fudge. The _Other_ Minister had explained about the wizarding world (to a scared and confused Prime Minister) and exited with a promise that they wouldn't meet again. The Prime Minister had been able to pass it off as a symptom of working to hard in the elections, but, alas, their paths were to cross again.

Despite Fudge's assurances that the Ministers probably wouldn't meet, it had only been two years since he'd last seen Fudge (something about the Quidditch cup and dragons of all things) and less than a year before that it had been about 'Serious' Black (whom, as far as the Prime Minister knew, was still at large).

"I've just come from Azkaban." Fudge said without preamble, not noticing that the edge of his bowler hat was smouldering slightly from the floo. "Middle of the-"

"North sea, I remember." The Prime Minister interrupted, thinking back to when he'd first been told about the wizarding prison. It was not something he would be fortunate enough to forget. "What's gone wrong now?"

"Small problem, there's been a mass breakout- we believe Black is the rallying point. I wouldn't have worried you with it but according to the Extreme Risk Division of the Auror Department we have to notify you if there maybe a serious threat to the muggles." Fudge said offhandedly, clearly not thinking much of this rulebook. First he has to tell the _other_ Prime Minister about bring deadly creatures into the country for the Tri-Wizard tournament, and now about the tiny matter of a few escaped mass-murderers. Undoubtedly they'd be hiding and keeping their head down with Black.

"A _mass_ breakout?" The Prime Minister repeated hoarsely.

"No need to worry, no need to worry!" Fudge shouted, already with one foot back in the fire. "We'll have them rounded up in no time!"

"Now just wait…"

But Fudge had already gone, leaving the muggle Prime Minister confused and worried. Fudge was looking noticeably more flustered than the last time he had seen him, and when the government looked worried, it didn't bode well for the rest of the country.

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The first few days back at school after the holidays were always busy, especially at meal times. People moved from friend to friend to find out how their holidays had been, what they got for Christmas and how the New Years resolutions were working out.

On the Gryffindor table, Harry Ron and Hermione were noticeably quiet, wondering what had caused Harry's scar to flare the night before. The Slytherin table seemed in particularly high spirits, with Connor and Dawn being noticeable exceptions as they spoke in hushed whispers so nobody could overhear.

Such was the bustle in the hall that few people noticed the owl post. At the Gryffindor table, Harry, Ron and Hermione poured over the front page of the 'Daily Prophet' which read:

'_MASS BREAKOUT FROM AZKABAN- MINISTRY FEARS BLACK IS RALLYING POINT FOR OLD DEATH EATERS'_

Dawn and Connor, though they hadn't received 'the Daily Prophet' themselves, were obviously aware of what was on the front page as Connor was talking in urgent whispers to an anxious looking Dawn who kept sneaking glances up to the staff table where her father was sitting.

"Look." Hermione hissed, shoving the paper under the noses of her friends. Eight wizards and two witches cruelly grinned back at them from the wizarding pictures under the headlines.

_Antonin Dolohov, convicted of the brutal murders of Gideon and Fabian Prewett._

_Algernon Rookwood, convicted of leaking Ministry of Magic secrets to He Who Must Not Be Named._

_Bellatrix Lestrange, convicted of the torture and permanent incapacitation of Frank and Alice Longbottom._

Harry spared a worried glance down to Neville who was laughing with Dean Thomas, clearly unaware of the news. Bellatrix smirked up at Harry from the newspaper. He could see the resemblance to Sirius immediately, though she still had the haggard appearance that Sirius had worn when he first escaped two years ago.

Hermione, getting impatient with the speed of Harry's reading, jabbed one of the picture in the second row. "Look."

_Cassandra Lemort, convicted of the vicious 'Midnight Murders' including that of Marlene McKinnon and family._

"That's Dawn's mum!" Ron hissed.

"What are the 'Midnight Murders'?" Harry asked. He still found that he didn't know a great deal about the history of the wizarding world despite having lived in it for five years.

"A group of Death Eaters went around killing muggleborn families while they slept." Hermione whispered, the disgust clear on her face. Over a hundred 'mudbloods', many of them young children, were killed by the Midnight Murderers.

All three looked over to the Slytherin table and sought out Dawn to see her reaction. As they watched, another seventh year girl, one of Dawn's roommates, walked up behind her and held out the newspaper for her to see. Dawn looked down for a moment, then tilted her head back so that her roommate, Genevieve, could see and smirked. Dawn kissed her on the cheek and Genevieve turned with a toss of her dark curls and went back to her place further down the table.

"You okay?" Connor asked, keeping his head focused on his breakfast so nobody could see.

"Hey, Malfoy, have you seen this?"

Montague had snatched the newspaper and was holding it up for him to see. Conner felt Dawn stiffen next to him though to anybody else she looked to be calmly taking a drink of pumpkin juice. He moved closer to her and draped an arm around her back.

"Yeah I've seen it." Connor drawled. He knew how to put on the act and he knew that he did it well. "What's your point?"

"No point." Montague smirked and Connor returned it. "Just wondering if you'd seen it."

"Well I have." Connor spared a glance at Dawn. She was looking a bit pale, still determinedly eating breakfast, trying her best to look like nothing abnormal was occurring and returning the knowing smirks half of the seventh years sent her way.

He moved closer still. "Are you okay?" He asked, murmuring the words against her neck so nobody would see. If anyone found out then everything would be over. Especially now when Death Eater fever was reaching a high in their common room. Even the Slytherins who Connor expected had no intention of ever becoming Death Eaters were joining in on the act, most likely in self preservation like himself and Dawn.

The tiniest nod.

"You want to get out of here?"

He could feel Snape's eyes burning into him as to all appearances he nuzzled into Dawn's neck. But he didn't care. Dawn nodded again so he kissed her briefly and lead her out of the hall, steadily ignoring Montague's crude comments about them 'celebrating'.

They'd barely got five steps outside the Great Hall when Dawn stopped suddenly.

"What?" Connor asked when he felt the tug on his hand.

"We've, er, got class…"

He cursed under his breath. The first class of the day started in less than fifteen minutes, no where near enough time to go back to the Slytherin common room, talk and make it back in time. "We could miss it."

Dawn shook her head instantly. "No, we have to pretend everything's okay, keep acting as normal. Right?"

"Right."

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"'Lyria, your driving crazy. More crazy. Whatever."

"I will not be caged like a common animal among the muck."

"We have a suite. Seriously, you would not cope well in a nine-by-five cell."

Illyria cocked her head. "No. I would not. There is no cell that could contain me."

"We need to get you a sense of humour." Faith said in a long suffering way. It had only been a few days since the move to Hogwarts and she was already getting restless. She really needed to talk Dumbledore into letting them patrol the forbidden forest. Dawn and Connor both visited, sometimes several times a day (it was clear that they feared for her sanity- and rightly so) but she needed to hunt. Why did she agree to this? Oh yeah, she'd been sleep deprived and then, suddenly the moment she got to the Order Headquarters, the dreams stopped. She was meant to be here. Damn it all. "Look, you want to be near Dawn and Dawn wants to be at school. If you want to keep her safe, then this is the only way to do it. You don't want to be with the student, or 'muck' or whatever, so we have to be apart from them. They won't have you here unsupervised, so I have to be here too. We don't have all that many options. Are you following me?"

She nodded her head slightly. She did not like this set up, even if the castle did look like a fitting home for her. It was not the way she should be treated, locked away like a prisoner. She was a God and should be worshiped; but the Key was here and the Key needed protection always. She would stay for now.

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"Hem hem."

For a moment, Connor thought that Professor Umbridge had entered his arithmancy lesson, but her voice was not that low.

Connor didn't bother to hide his displeasure when he saw who it actually was standing behind him. "Montague. What do you want?"

He was not fazed by Connor's less than happy greeting, he expected it. "Is that any way to greet an old friend?"

"We haven't been friends since first year." Connor said, turning his attention back to his work. Whatever drivel Montague was about to spout, Connor was sure that he wasn't interested.

"I heard you're dating Snape's daughter." Montague spat out the word 'dating' like it was a curse.

"What of it?" Connor asked in a bored tone, though his housemate had captured his attention. Surely Montague had known about him and Dawn for a while? Was this just a new irritation tactic?

Montague bent down, leaning on the desk and moving so close that Connor could smell his stale breath. "What happened to you, man? _Dating?_ And _Snape's_ daughter? Yeah, okay, she's hot if you go for that look, but do you think Daddy-dearest is really going to let you get anywhere near her?"

Connor tightened his grip on his quill. Montague had a way of pushing his buttons, always had. He stared at the page in front of him until the figures swam before his eyes, offering no escape from Montague's taunts.

"Don't get me wrong, I'd go there myself, but her genetics…" He shuddered. "Merlin, I don't even want to know what comes from the Snape gene pool."

Something inside Connor snapped, something he wasn't even aware of until this Christmas. He lunged at Montague, sending them both crashing into the desk behind him. He barely managed to lay one punch before the teacher started screaming and other students were pulling them apart.

"Misters Malfoy and Montague! Detention!" Came the professor's shrill voice.

Connor shrugged himself away from the student's holding him and glared at Montague, cursing himself for letting that idiot get to him.

Montague smirked, not caring that he'd just got detention. He'd got a reaction from the usually unflappable Connor Malfoy and in Slytherin, it was the reaction that counted.

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It wasn't until after the days classes that Dawn got a chance to speak to her father about the news that her mother had escaped from Azkaban. The whole school was talking about it and, while it wasn't common knowledge that she was Cassandra Lemort's daughter, a few Slytherins did know and it was only a matter of time before word got out and she became one of Hogwarts Most Hated.

She didn't bother to knock, just went straight into her father's office (his office hours weren't until after dinner so he should be alone). "Dad, I- oh"

Professor Umbridge was sitting in the chair opposite Snape's. She had removed her black teaching robes leaving her in that hideous salmon pink cardigan that she always seemed to be wearing. She cleared the throat. "Ah-hem."

"Sorry, I didn't know anyone was here." Dawn muttered.

"Miss Snape, how are you?" Umbridge asked with a false sympathy.

"I'm okay." Dawn answered shortly. Umbridge liked her father, he was co-operative with all of her suggestions (she hadn't noticed all the teeth grinding he did in her presence), and by extension she liked his daughter.

She nodded and smiled that horrible syrupy smile. "Good. Well, Severus, I must be off. The ministry officials will be arriving shortly. Although," she laughed lightly, "your daughter has saved me one task."

"I have?"

"Yes dear, if you would come to the headmaster's office at five-fifteen then that would be perfect."

"…why?" Dawn asked, trying not to sound too petulant.

"Nothing to worry about," Umbridge said with a wave of her stubby hand. "The Ministry just wants to ask anyone with _'connections'_ to any of the escapees a few questions."

"I don't know anything." Dawn protested. Would anyone actually believe that she would help break a group of Death Eaters out of the Azkaban?

"Of course you don't." Snape injected. "It's just procedure, Dawn, you can understand that."

"Quite right." Umbridge said with approval- she was a fan of procedure- before making her excuses and leaving the office.

"Are you all right?" Severus asked the minute the door closed behind her.

"Me? I'm fine, great even. My psychopathic mother has escaped from a high security prison and it's only a matter of time before my classmates find out and hate me. Plus I've just found out that the Ministry thinks I'm somehow part of it and wants to question me. What could be better?"

He ignored her sarcasm. "The Ministry wish to speak to me as well."

"Yeah, 'cause we really want that bitch out of gaol."

"Dawn." Snape scolded, though he felt the same way. "I have to go now, my meeting is in five minutes."

"Sure. Mind if I wait here, until I have to go? My housemates are driving me crazy and Connor's doing the brotherly-bonding thing."

Usually Severus would have refused, wanting his daughter to spend time with her housemates rather than sitting in his office. But today it was different. "Very well. Make sure you're not late for your meeting though, it will not reflect well on you."

"I won't be." Dawn promised.

"It'll all be okay, Dawn. They will catch her."

"You don't think she'd come here, do you?"

"No." Severus said with absolute certainty. Cassandra had never loved him, or even her daughter he suspected, and he felt sure she would not jeopardise her freedom to see them. "She wouldn't dare, and she knows that she wouldn't be able to get into Hogwarts anyway."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Dawn said with a small smile; that made a lot of sense and was a great relief. She sat, flicking absently through one of her father's potions texts until the time came for her to go to Dumbledore's office.

When she arrived, Dumbledore smiled at her kindly. "Take a seat, Dawn."

"Thanks." She sat in one of the armchairs, very aware that there were three other occupants of the room staring at her.

"This is Auror Mains." Dumbledore informed her. Dawn shook the hand he offered with a polite smile.

"And this is Auror Tonks." Dumbledore said with a look of warning. He did not want Dawn to blow the cover of the Order by admitting that she had met Tonks many times over the Christmas break.

The other member of the room was Professor Umbridge, although she was there as a Ministry official rather than as a teacher.

"I assume you know what this is about, Dawn." Dumbledore continued gravely. "Have you heard from Cassandra Lemort in any way?"

"Not since she was arrested." Dawn said bluntly.

"The visiting logs at Azkaban show that you have never visited your Mother, how have you kept in contact?" Auror Mains said taking over the questioning from Dumbledore.

"We haven't. We weren't exactly close, nor do I have a desire to know her better." Dawn said utterly truthfully; she had hoped to never see her mother again.

"And the other members of the Black family? Bellatrix Lestrange and Sirius Black?"

"I've never met them. We're barely related anyway." Dawn said without missing a beat.

"Dawn, did you have any prior knowledge of the Azkaban break-out or participate in any way?"

"No."

Auror Mains held her stare for a minute, and over his shoulder Tonks gave her a reassuring look. After a moment, Mains broke the gaze and nodded.

Dumbledore stood up. "Thank you, Dawn. That will be all."

"I can go?" It all seemed a little too easy, surely they would want to ask her more questions than that.

Tonks answered her, speaking for the first time since Dawn had entered the office. "If you hear anything, then all then the Professor's know how to get in contact with us."

Dawn nodded. "Okay."

"We have all of our resources focused on this case," Mains continued. "We have absolute confidence that the convicts will be back in the Azkaban before the week is out."

Dawn nodded again, although she didn't believe it. These were ten powerful (and evil) wizards; it took the Ministry years to capture them the first time around, what made them think it would be any different this time? And even if they were captured within the week, they could still do plenty of damage in seven days. She didn't voice her concerns though. "I hope so."

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"Draco, can I see you for a moment." Connor didn't wait for a reply, just carried on through the common room and up to his quarters.

Draco packed up his books with an audible sigh, glaring at the few Slytherins who gloated 'ooooh' as he passed.

"What?" Draco said irritably when he reached Connor's room. He didn't like being singled out in front of a room full of people, especially by his brother who was only two years his senior.

"Take a seat, Drake." Connor gestured with a jerk of his head.

Draco glowered. "You know, I do have O.W.L.s this year to study for."

"And I have N.E.W.T.s. Have a break." He knew Draco wasn't really that annoyed with him. Both of their exams were months away still and few students had started work for them. "How are you?"

"Fine." Draco bit out untruthfully. He'd never known a truer meaning of the phrase 'inner turmoil' than what he was feeling right now. It was like someone had whipped the carpet out from under him, taken everything he thought he knew and turned it upside down. And now he truly realised how high the stakes really were, he knew what he would be risking. Draco was scared and confused, and hanging onto his precious little act by the skin of his fingernails just hoping that he could go back to how things were.

"Yeah right," Connor said with a snort. "You forget, Drake, I know you. Possibly better than you know yourself right now."

"Oh you think so?"

"I know so, and so do you." Silence greeted him and Connor knew that his brother wasn't going to give in this easily. "Okay, fine. You don't know who to believe anymore. You're starting to wonder if Dad was honest with you, and feeling guilty for doubting him. You don't know what you want, but you do know you don't want _his_ route. You're scared because if anyone finds out that you're feeling this way then you're dead."

He stayed silent, avoiding Connor's gaze, knowing that if he did meet it then he might not be able to hold it together.

"I know, because I was feeling the same thing." Connor continued more softly. "Until I decided what to do about it."

"And that was?" Draco asked petulantly, still not looking at his brother.

"I think you've figured it out."

Draco was silent for a minute. He knew that Connor had gone to Dumbledore, but he wasn't sure if he could do the same. "I can't. He's our father; I can't just go against him."

"Even though he'd sell you out in a second to his precious Dark Lord?"

"He wouldn't." Draco said, but the words sounded hollow even to him. "He's family, what else is there? Family is what counts."

"I'm your family too." Connor said quietly, but it seemed that that was the wrong thing to say.

"So why are you doing this? Putting me in the middle. It's not fair!" Draco yelled, loosing his temper. "I'm already keeping your sodding secret, _what_ _more do you want_?"

"What I want is for all this to be over. But you're right, it's not fair. If it was fair then we wouldn't have to make this choice. If it was fair then all those people wouldn't be dying. If it was fair then I wouldn't have had to watch my girlfriend get half killed by some git on a power trip." Connor said simply. "Life isn't fair. Life isn't easy. Deal with it."

"I was dealing perfectly well until you started butting in." Draco growled. He was fed up of this. He'd been ignoring it for so long and that had been working well for him. Why change now?

"It was only a matter of time. Sooner or later you'd have to decide what you wanted. You have to pick a side, Drake, and you have to do it soon."

"I know. But I don't think I can betray him." Draco said quietly, his anger fading.

"You don't have to; it's not all about him." Connor didn't need to ask who 'he' was; he was just pleased that his brother seemed to be coming round to his way of thinking. "Just tell me you don't want to be a Death Eater. Say that, and we can take it from there."

"I don't want it." Draco whispered, knowing that despite what Connor said, he was betraying his father and going against everything he'd been taught.

"You don't want what?" He needed to hear the words.

"To be a Death Eater." Draco said, stumbling over the words he'd never spoken. "I don't want to be a Death Eater."

Connor grinned. "Well that's good news; I was starting to think we might have to split up the infamous Malfoy brothers."

For a moment Draco stared at his brother incredulously. He was joking? NOW? But then he shrugged in resignation. "Looks like it's still you and me then."

Connor cuffed him on the shoulder. "Yep, to the end of the world."

Draco paled considerably. It quite possibly _would_ be the end of the world and the implications were just sinking in. But there was no going back now.

"To the end of the world."

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Please review!!


	13. For Me

**A/N:** I have taken a scene from the Angel series finale. You'll know it when you get to it!

**Deliver Me From Evil by Kiara**

**PART ELEVEN- FOR ME**

Connor stormed into the common room. To say that he was in a bad mood would be the understatement of the century. It had only been a few days since the report of the escaped Death Eaters had made it to Hogwarts, but Dawn's relationship to Cassandra Lemort was now common knowledge. For the most part the other students were happy to glare and whisper behind her back, but a few ballsy pupils yelled as she passed, one even attempted to curse her.

Plus he'd entered into a kind of stale mate with Draco. The younger brother had admitted that he didn't want to be a Death Eater, but was still unwilling to openly declare his allegiance to anyone outside Connor, not even Dumbledore. Connor thought that it would take one of those big, life defining moments before Draco showed his true colours but by then it might be too late. Not to mention the fact that he was babysitting an escaped muggle convict and a ancient god, who just happened to hate him, in between his classes. All in all, life was very difficult.

And they'd only been back at school a week!

On this particular occasion, Connor had been on his way to the Common Room when one particular fourth year boy had boldly asked what it was like to be going out with a murderer's daughter. He'd wanted to hit the kid, but had to settle with reporting him to his Head of House.

"You don't look happy." A quiet voice came from the corner.

He almost jumped, his bad mood forgotten as he remembered why he'd left right in the middle of dinner. "Dawn, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, just not hungry." She wasn't surprised to see him there, he'd barely left her side in the last two days and should have known that he'd be back like a flash when she decided to skip dinner. "What's up?"

"Nothing." He said after a pause, deciding to let her absence at meal time slip this once. It wasn't an easy situation.

"Sure." Dawn said disbelievingly. As she continued to press him for information, she failed to notice the particles swirling behind him, that is, until they took shape.

"Dad? When did you get here?"

Professor Snape glared down his nose at her. "If you paid attention then you'd know, but you never do." He hissed. "But what should I expect from someone that's not even real?"

"W-What?" Dawn stammered.

"You're not real, you're not my daughter. You're energy, only good for evil." He spat. "You disgust me."

"You're not Snape." Connor muttered, knowing that he would never say anything like that to his daughter. His father maybe, but not Dawn's. But he was ignored.

'Snape' started swirling, finally coming to a halt as Buffy. "Don't look at me, you disgust me too. You're not even human, just a thing. A thing that got me killed!"

Dawn almost registered that something wasn't right, Buffy couldn't be here, but by then she was in too deep. She couldn't even hear Connor yelling.

It started swirling almost immediately, stopping as a redhead with a cruel smirk brandishing a knife. "Don't worry, Dawnie, I still need you. Need my key to get home."

Luckily Dawn had the presence of mind to step back as Glory slashed the knife at her face and it only nicked the side of her neck. Connor stepped in front of her, wand out, and ready to fight.

"Ridikulous!" He tried, but nothing happened. "_Ridikulous_!"

The door opened and the room was filled with chatter which immediately stopped as the returning students saw the situation. Connor took advantage of the boggart's distraction.

"Immobilus!" It froze. He took a deep breath and turned to Pansy Parkinson who was standing near the front of the group. "Would you tell Professor Dumbledore that a boggart is in the Slytherin common room, please? And tell him that it's corporal."

Surprised mutterings broke out at this. Boggarts weren't corporal, they were your fears but they couldn't do any physical damage. But they could see the blood on Dawn's neck plain as day.

Connor ignored them all and turned back to his girlfriend who looked as confused as him.

"It wasn't real." She said, more to herself than him.

"No," Connor said quietly, he touched a finger to her neck and it came away bloody. "But this is."

Dawn saw a strange look flash across his face, but he shook his head and it vanished. "How?"

"I don't know," He replied robotically, almost in a trance. "We should clean this up."

She followed him upstairs and sat on his bed while he dampened a washcloth at the basin. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Dawn answered. She felt a bit foolish now for not realizing. "I can't believe I fell for that, we covered boggarts in the third year!"

"Don't feel bad. That wasn't a normal boggart," he murmured, kneeling down in front of her. Something wasn't right, his heart was beating in his chest louder than ever and getting louder, his breathing deep and labored. He couldn't even hear what Dawn was saying anymore because the blood was pulsing in his ears.

"I don't, just stupid." Dawn replied, then she noticed that Connor was staring at her oddly. "Are you okay?"

He didn't answer and for a moment Dawn was worried. Connor surged forward, crushing his lips against her and ignoring her 'oof' of surprise. He wasn't thinking, just acting on instinct. He moved them back onto the bed, never breaking contact, but it still wasn't enough. His mind had completely fogged over until he caught a glimpse of the red still staining Dawn's neck and everything seemed clear.

Dawn hissed in surprise as Connor slowly licked her neck. Yes it was unexpected, but not bad. Definitely not bad. She'd once overheard Buffy talking about when Angel had bitten her, and she said nothing had affected her quite so much. At the time she'd thought it gross, but now she knew exactly what she meant.

A second later, Connor blinked, jerking back to reality and jumping back. "Oh God."

"Connor…"

"I'm so sorry." He whispered, sounding so lost that Dawn's heart almost broke.

"It's okay." She said, but was stopped from continuing by a knock on the door.

"Yeah?" Connor called softly, and Professor Dumbledore entered the room.

"Miss Parkinson said that I would find you here. Are you both alright?"

"We're fine." Dawn said, answering for both of them.

"Good." Dumbledore said, relief washing over his face. "Do you think you could tell me what happened?"

Dawn did so, relaying in as much detail as she could remember while Connor kept quite for the most part. Dumbledore wondered why the boy was so quiet, even more so than normal, but refrained from asking.

"Well," Dumbledore said when she had finished. "You realize that a boggart should not be able to cause any damage?"

"We did wonder about that."

Dumbledore sighed and looked down at his hands. "You are aware that Voldemort had been consorting with the Underworld, I believe that he has succeeded in cross-breeding our worlds, if you will. Creating a hybrid of magical and demonic that we will find difficult to fight. It is something I had hoped would not happen, I hoped the slayer would be able to help."

"But she couldn't?" Dawn said, fear entering her voice. If Buffy couldn't fight it then it was bound to be bad.

"She could. That is where she is, targeting a group of avid supporters of Voldemort's. But the boggart's presence in the common room is not coincidence. Voldemort has somehow managed to penetrate Hogwarts, although I do not for one instance believe that he meant to target your common room." Dumbledore stood up. "I must meet with the staff, we will take measures to ensure this doesn't happen again. Connor, would you please escort Dawn to Madam Pomfrey, just to be on the safe side."

"Of course." Connor agreed, and the duo walked downstairs with Dumbledore.

They were both quiet as they walked, Dawn was worried about Buffy and Connor ashamed about how he had acted. He had behaved like a vampire, a demon, and that wasn't good.

He barely registered when they entered and the moment Madam Pomfrey saw them he turned to leave.

"You're leaving?"

He stopped. Dawn sounded hurt that he wasn't staying and he didn't want to hurt her. Not anymore. "I'll stay if you want me to."

She beamed at him and he relented. Madam Pomfrey examined the scratch. "It's not deep and the wound looks clean."

Connor blushed and looked at the floor. When he looked up, Dawn was watching him. She smiled at him and he returned it tentatively. Was she really okay with what had happened earlier?

"All done." Madam Pomfrey announced having healed the cut. Dawn jumped up, took the offered chocolate and they left the hospital wing. She wasted no time in grabbing his hand, trying to show him that they were okay.

Connor frowned, trying to find the right words. "I'm sorry about what happened earlier."

"Don't be." Dawn said sincerely. "It was…nice."

He stopped surprised. "Nice?"

"Yeah, I liked it." She admitted hesitantly. "That probably makes me weird, but it's true."

"But I acted like a vampire." He said, confused.

"You're parents are vamps, it makes sense that you'd inherit something other than super strength. I know that. Besides, I'm not exactly normal."

"So you're okay with it?"

Dawn cast a look up and down the corridor. It was deserted. To his surprise she pushed him up against the wall and kissed him deeply, putting in everything she felt.

When they parted, they were both panting. They looked at each other, and something passed between them and they hurried back towards the Slytherin quarters.

"Is everything okay?" A couple of Slytherins asked as they passed through the common room, but they were ignored.

Connor opened his door, slamming it shut behind him and then he kissed her, working their way over to the bed, a new sense of urgency present. He tossed his robes and shirt to the side as they fell onto the bed and his attention went to Dawn's clothing.

Connor suddenly stopped unbuttoning her shirt. "Are you sure you're ready for this?"

She lifted her eyes to his. "I've never been surer of anything." She answered honestly. She kissed him gently and shrugged out of her shirt.

"You're so beautiful." Connor said, drinking in the sight of her. He'd seen her like this before but everything seemed to be ten times more intense now.

"I love you." Dawn said, certain that she meant it.

"I love you too." Connor replied softly.

Dawn smiled and pulled him back down to her. "Prove it."

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Dawn stood well back as Faith and Illyria tried to beat the living shit out of each other. She knew not to get in between the two of them, Connor had tried it when they had first moved in here and had had to go to Madam Pomfrey to get his nose fixed. Now he gave them plenty of space.

"Having fun?" She asked lightly when Faith got thrown into the wall. Neither opponent looked surprised to see her standing there.

"She does not make as many noises as Spike did." Illyria said, watching as Faith pulled herself to her face.

"That's because I'm not as bigger girl as Spike is." Faith retorted with a smile.

Dawn shook her head with a laugh. Faith and Illyria made an interesting pair. She suspected that they both actually enjoyed each other's company a bit; they challenged each other.

"What you so happy for?" Faith grumbled, rubbing her sore backside where she'd hit the floor. She stopped suddenly. "Why Dawnie, do you have an after-sex glow?"

She blushed. "What? No!"

"You do! Oh please tell me Junior still has his soul."

Dawn glared at her soon to be former-friend. "You're not at all funny, you do know that, right?"

"I'm a riot." Faith waved off the comment. She was glad that her and Dawn had made up during her time in Sunnydale, otherwise being thrown together like this would have been very awkward.

"Whatever, I came here for a reason. Has Dumbledore told you about the boggart?"

Faith immediately sobered. "Yeah. You okay?"

"Fine, Connor took care of it."

Illyria tipped her head to one side. "The half-breed?"

"Connor." Dawn repeated firmly.

"He is weak and easily manipulated." Illyria said matter-of-fact. She hadn't really hit it off with Connor. She always gave him that look a cat gives a mouse when it's considering pouncing on it. Dawn had had some very serious words with the old one about the consequences of killing, maiming or inflecting any lasting damage on her boyfriend. "He does not embrace his true nature and the puny amount of power he has access to."

Dawn ignored her. She had had this argument before and it seemed nothing could change Illyria's mind. Her and Connor were destined not to get along. "So what do you think about the boggart."

"Albus is sending word to B." Faith said, fighting to hold back her smirk at Dawn's overprotectiveness. "Blue and I will patrol the forest and check out the rest of the school after the kiddies have gone to beddie-byes."

Dawn scowled. She didn't like being referred to as one of the 'kiddies'.

"Albus doesn't think we'll find anything. He's been making with the heavy mojo."

"Does that mean you'll have to stay here, with only Illyria to beat your frustrations out on? Shame."

Faith laughed. While Illyria was good for her to spar with physically, she didn't give much back in verbal sparring. "Don't worry, Lil' D, we'll cope."

"Whatever." She muttered. "Just let me know if you find anything interesting."

"I hope we do, but I bet we don't." Faith looked out over the still school grounds. It was very much the calm before the storm, except for the occasional minor, short-lived incident. Death Eater's escape and then nothing and she would bet that there would be nothing after this latest attack. It was making her anxious. And when the slayers were nervous it spelt bad news for everyone.

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True to his word, Dumbledore stepped up the castle's defences and the rest of January past without incident. In fact, by the time February began most of the students had forgotten about the strange boggart to enter the Slytherin common room. Nothing much had happened at all, it was starting to make Connor and Dawn jumpy. Nothing more had been heard about the escaped Death Eaters which could only mean one thing- they were planning something. They didn't know what, so until something happened they had to carry on as normal.

Andrew Clements, first year Slytherin, climbed the stairs grumbling to himself. He was going to Connor Malfoy's room to deliver a letter that had come by owl post that afternoon. As senior prefect in Slytherin, Connor was entitled to a owl hole much like the staff members had and each day one of the first years would have to check it for mail. And today that was his job.

He knocked on Connor's door. No answer. He tried again.

"Nobody's here."

Andrew recognized it as the prefect's voice and assumed the giggle that followed to be Dawn Snape's. He wrinkled his nose. Looks like those two were celebrating Valentines Day early. Gross.

"What are you doing here?"

Andrew jumped at the voice directly behind him belonging to Draco Malfoy. Everyone with half a brain was avoiding Draco Malfoy at the moment. He'd been in a bad mood for weeks, jinxing anyone who annoyed him whether it be friend or foe. Plus he'd been sending all these weird secret looks to his brother who ignored them and then that put him in a worse mood. What with the attitude of Slytherins changing depending on news of aurors and Death Eaters, and one of the prefects going a little psycho, Slytherin was not the best, or safest, house to be a member of at the moment.

"I have to deliver this." Andrew held up the letter and Draco took it from him.

"I'll do it." Andrew stood there, not sure whether to relinquish his task. "Well piss off then."

Draco grinned as the first year scuttled off, he could still scare the kids even if he doubted himself, and knocked on his brother's door. Not bothering to wait for an answer, he went in and cleared his throat loudly.

Connor and Dawn separated quickly (thankfully fully dressed, Draco thought wryly). "What the fuck are you doing here?"

Draco ignored his brother's angry tone. "Just be glad it was me. I mean it's horrible enough for me as your brother to witness…that, but imagine if it had been an ickle firstie seeing you two exchanging spit and about to-"

"First years knock." Connor growled as Dawn blushed bright red.

"I knocked." Draco said breezily. "Letter for you."

"Was that all?" Connor asked, taking the letter. They were acting normally, almost like before…

Draco grinned. "Pretty much."

"Then please go." Connor said through gritted teeth, opening the letter he'd been given.

"Gladly. You two have fun now, just remember it's not Valentines Day until tomorrow." He added as he shut the door.

Dawn glared at him. "Just so you know, I hate your brother. Even if he is on our side now."

To her surprise Connor didn't answer. She'd guessed what had transpired between the Malfoy brothers, but Connor had refused to confirm or deny them until 'Draco was ready'. For him to ignore a nosey comment from her was unusual. "Connor? What's up?"

He looked up from where he'd been reading the letter. "It's Angel."

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Connor and Dawn walked through Hogsmeade. Their serious faces looked somewhat out of place amongst the happy couples out on Valentine's Day dates. They walked past Madam Puddifoots, which was decorated in pink hearts and frills and full of couples holding hands. Harry was sitting in there with Cho Chang, although she looked far from happy which caused Connor to smirk and roll his eyes.

Connor looked at his girlfriend walking next to him. She was looking through the windows that she past. "Sorry about this." He said, embarrassed.

"What?"

He nodded towards the pink tea shop. "I know there are a million other ways you'd rather spend Valentines Day- the Shrieking Shark factoring into none of them- and we should probably be doing something really special, so I'm sorry."

"Con, I'm not with you for the hearts and flowers." Dawn said with a smile. "This is more important than any of that."

Dawn stopped when she felt Connor's tug on her hand. She looked back at him questioningly. They only had about ten minutes to get to the Shirking Shark.

He pulled her towards him and kissed her lightly, ignoring the cat calls coming from surrounding students. "Happy Valentines Day."

"Same to you." Dawn replied, blushing lightly.

They continued to the Shrieking Shack, the streets becoming less busy as they moved away from the shops. Dawn wrinkled her nose as she stood in the dusty living room. It was clear no one had been there for months, if not years.

Connor held the old teapot he'd turned into an illegal port key gingerly. He wasn't too fond of the gut-wrenching yank he knew he'd be feeling in a couple of minutes. His father had taught him and Draco the spell when they were younger, only to be used in an emergency. This was

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" He asked anxiously.

His concern was greeted with her tinkling laughter. "Don't you think that maybe it should be me worried about you? You're the one going across the Atlantic to Merlin knows what; all I have to do is walk back to Hogwarts."

He picked his words carefully. "With your mum out it could be dangerous…"

"No one's heard anything about them. I'll be fine, Connor." She assured him. "I could always go with you. Or we could have told Faith."

He sighed tiredly. "We already talked about this, there's probably nothing wrong anyway."

Dawn nodded, albeit reluctantly. "I know. I'll stay, just promise you'll come back to me."

"Nothing could keep me away." He vowed totally serious. "Thirty seconds. I just hope I can do this."

To hear him doubting himself was disconcerting for Dawn to hear. He always seemed so self-assured. Not knowing what to say, she grabbed his cloak and pulled him down to her, kissing him deeply.

"You definitely know how to motivate a guy." Connor said when they parted. "See you soon."

Dawn nodded. "Be careful."

He inclined his head briefly before disappearing leaving his girlfriend alone in the shrieking shack.

Dawn wrapped her arms around her body, suddenly feeling much colder. As a shiver went down her spine she was reminded just why the Shrieking Shack was said to be one of the most haunted buildings in Britain. The wind whistled through the empty halls, chinks of light that came through the cracked shutters making the shadows loom frighteningly. And while she hadn't noticed any of that when Connor was by her side, her protector whom she never doubted, now it was starting to creep her out.

When she left the Shack, rather quickly, dusk was already setting in and the crowds that had filled the streets earlier in the day had thinned noticeably as the students headed out of the cold and back to Hogwarts. The crisp February air was uninviting so Dawn quickened her pace, wanting to get back to the luke-warm common room.

She never knew what made her stop; maybe she heard something, maybe she sensed something. In the dwindling light she couldn't see much, but there was definitely _something_. Biting her lower lip Dawn took a step closer to the alley by Madam Puddifoots (the tea room had closed as the last of the Valentines Day couples left), but then she was pulled in- walking seemingly of her own free will but she knew better.

Dawn was no stranger to the Imperius curse. Her mother had been known to use it when she was being 'difficult' and as she got older her father had insisted that she learn to repel it, so it only took a few seconds before she was once again in control of her body. By that time she was way into the alley and automatically took a step backwards. Being drawn into a dark alley by someone willing to use an unforgivable curse could not be good.

"Wait."

For some reason, maybe she was still a bit cursed, Dawn did as she was told and looked in the direction of the voice. When she recognised the witch who had spoken, her heart sank. She fought to keep her calm; fear would not be appreciated at a time like this.

"Hello, Mother."

Cassandra cast an appraising look over the daughter she hadn't seen in years. She was attractive, of that there was no doubt, and she had power. A shiver rand down her spine, there was something different about her daughter's magic- something unfamiliar to her own. But then, Severus had sent her to that second-rate Yank school and who knew what that taught there. Lucius had told her that his son and her daughter had been involved, and she was pleased with that match- the Malfoy's were a well respected family.

"Dawn; I've been waiting all day."

"I'm touched." Dawn couldn't resist the sarcastic reply. Her dad had always said her mouth would get her into trouble one day.

Cassandra's eyes hardened. "I have risked a lot to come here."

"Why? Why did you come here? Why come all this way…for me! You don't even like me!" She was honestly confused. Her mother had made no secret that she had resented her daughter when she was free- it's had been Dawn's fault that she had settled down with Snape, not willing to be a single parent. Dawn was surprised she even remembered her name.

"You are my daughter, my legacy. I will need someone to join me in the circle." Came the matter-of-fact reply and Dawn could not suppress the disappointment that she felt though she knew it to be irrational. Logically she knew she was no more than an heir to her mother, but she couldn't help but wish it were more.

"I heard about your relationship with Lucius' son. Well done, Dawn; that's a very good match."

Dawn nodded dumbly, her head spinning. Her mother was here. Why? Why would she risk her own freedom to find her daughter? Was she hoping that Dawn would join her? Did she know about Dawn's betrayal? Had she come to kill her own daughter?

Cassandra continued, seemingly not noticing her daughter's inner turmoil. "It seems Severus has not failed completely in raising you. You at least have some semblance of what is best."

Anger rose deep inside. How dare she insult her father, the man who raised her. "What's that meant to mean?"

"Do not take that tone with me." Cassandra's eyes narrowed dangerously, giving her the appearance of the mad woman years locked in the Azkaban had turned her into.

"At least he was there for me. I don't get why you're even here, you sure as hell don't care about me and I sure as hell don't need you." She worked herself up into a shout and her mother looked on disapprovingly.

"Cruico." The older witch muttered. She nodded her head in satisfaction as her daughter fell to her knees with a gasp. She would not be yelled at by her over-emotional offspring. The curse was not strong, just enough to remind Dawn that her behaviour was unacceptable. Cassandra would not tolerate unacceptable behaviour.

"Why couldn't you stay gone?" Dawn hissed when the curse was lifted.

"Don't be so petty, Dawn." Cassandra said haughtily.

"At least I didn't abandon my family."

"Cruico." This time it was stronger and Dawn shouted as pain racked her body. Nowhere near a full strength curse, but enough to hurt.

"Hello? Is someone down there?"

Dawn looked up despite the pain at the new voice. It was Harry with Hermione. They'd just finished the interview with Rita Skeeter and were on their way back to Hogwarts when they'd heard her yell and been unable to resist investigating.

Hermione grasped the situation quickly and took a step back. It wasn't everyday that you saw an escaped murderer torturing her daughter.

"Get out." Dawn said from the ground. She didn't want them saying anything that would blow her dad's cover. When Harry reached for his wand she panicked. If he went up against Cassandra Lemort then he would surely get himself killed. "Fuck off you two."

"Harry Potter!" Cassandra said when she recognised the boy, her daughter now forgotten. How pleased her master would be when she delivered the Potter boy to him. She lowered her wand, not seeing the boy as a threat, and grinned evilly.

Dawn pushed herself up onto all fours as her mother walked past her towards Harry. Why weren't they attacking her while her guard was down? As she thought this, a forth figure stepped out from the shadows and hit the Death Eater square in the face.

Cassandra flew backwards to the end of the alley, but that would not be enough to stop her and she would have no qualms about retaliating tenfold. Dawn muttered under her breath and moved her wand slightly causing a tall stack of crates to over balance and fall on her mother knocking her into unconsciousness.

"Go!" She said urgently to the trio before turning to Faith. "What are you doing here? Did she see you?"

"No, I don't think so. And I was checking up on you, as you obviously can't do it yourself. Where the hell is Connor?"

"He's visiting Angel." Dawn muttered quietly, not wanting Harry and Hermione to overhear. They were already trying to figure out how her and Connor knew Faith- the excuse that they had met while Dawn was at school in America hadn't washed with the nosey trio and they were determined to get to the bottom of it. Thus far, they hadn't gotten very far.

"What's wrong with Angel?" Faith was immediately worried. Angel had been one of the few constants in her life and she wasn't willing to risk anything happening to him.

"Nothing." Dawn managed to lie, despite the circumstances. Although to be fair, they didn't know anything was wrong. Connor had just received a mushy letter and they had assumed the worse. "They're just trying to get to know each other."

"Come on, let's go." Hermione urged, looking anxiously at the Death Eater lying at the end of the alley.

"You two go; I'll take care of Dawn."

"Come on." Hermione repeated, tugging Harry out of the alley, explaining that if they were caught anywhere near Dawn then it would not look good for her or Snape.

"Dawn? Are you okay?" Faith patted the younger girls' arms, looking for any injuries and thankfully finding none. "We've got to go now!"

"She'll know I left with you." Dawn whispered.

"How? She's out of it and she didn't even see me. Come on."

Dawn looked back to her mother and, seeing she was beginning to stir, grabbed the slayer and apperated them to the edge of the anti-apparition wards that surrounded Hogwarts. It was only after they'd touched down that Dawn realised that she should not have used such a large amount of magic when she was still recovering from the effects of the Cruciatus curse. She swayed unsteadily on her feet.

Faith immediately steadied her. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Fine." She bit out. She heard voices she recognised, a group of Slytherin's on their way back to Hogwarts. "You have to go, now!"

Faith looked worried, but a few seconds later she had disappeared into the shadows. She set off at a run, heading for the man she knew would do anything to protect Dawn. She hadn't liked him at first, but even she could see that Snape would do anything to protect his daughter- he was like Buffy in that way.

He was standing in the office, easy to find him then. He glared at her, but she ignored him.

Severus was off before she'd finished the sentence, cursing the anti-apparition wards around Hogwarts. His mind was going a hundred miles a minute, thinking of all the possibilities. Would Cassandra actually hurt Dawn? Who was he kidding; she was the most sadistic bitch he'd ever met and fit right in with the other Death Eater parents.

Already imagining the worst, he was surprised to see Dawn walking up towards Hogwarts with a group of students from his house. When she saw him, she immediately broke off from them.

"Hi Dad."

"Are you alright?" He grabbed her shoulders and looked her over for injuries.

"I'm fine, really. Just overused the magic a bit." She said quietly, not wanting anyone to overhear. "It was my own fault, tried to apperate two people."

"Dawn, you've only had your licence six months." He said slightly exasperated. Why did his daughter always insist on running before she could walk?

"Yeah, well, I didn't really have much choice."

"The slayer wasn't lying then? Did she hurt you?" He was quite pleased at how he managed to keep his anger for his ex out of his voice. It was a testament to his self-control.

"Nah, not really. She just wanted to make sure I'm following in her footsteps."

Severus felt a flash of anger. "You're nothing like her."

Seeing her mother again had hardened her resolve. She wouldn't turn out like that, no matter what people thought. "I know."

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Connor reappeared in the lobby of Wolfram and Hart, or what was left of it. Much of the furniture had been destroyed by his father and the man he was fighting; the room had obviously been host to a battle. Connor concealed himself, old instincts telling him to assess the situation before he plunged in and got himself and his father killed.

"People who don't care about anything will never understand the people who do." Angel said as he punched Hamilton in the face.

"Yeah, but we won't care." The evil lawyer replied flippantly. He picked up a stake off Harmony's desk and walked over to Angel. He'd been expecting the infamous vampire to put up more of a fight, in truth he was a little disappointed. He raised the stake, but it never made contact.

Connor launched out from his hiding place and punched Hamilton as hard as he could. He easily tapped into the super-strength he'd once forgotten and his target went sailed across the room, shattering one of the glass walls.

"Care about that, dress-for-less?" He quipped as Hamilton landed with a thud.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Angel said, allowing himself to be pulled to his feet by his son.

"Come on. You send a gooey letter straight from the heart, and the world's not ending? Give me a little credit."

Angel looked panicked. He didn't want to risk something happening to Connor. "You have to go."

"Too late." Hamilton advanced on the pair, now even more angry. No one had expected the vampire's brat to turn up, he had not been prepared for this but he would not loose.

He attempted to punch Connor but was blocked by his father, allowing the younger to punch him painfully in the stomach. The father-son team worked well together, anticipating the other's movements as they blocked and punched. But Connor, no longer used to fights-to-the-death, soon began to tire.

Hamilton took advantage of this and head-butted Connor before throwing him into the wall where he lay not moving. "What is with you people?"

"Connor!" Angel tried to go to his son, but got thrown to the other side of the room.

Hamilton straightened his tie and advanced on the fallen vampire. "Let me say this as clearly as I can. You cannot beat me. I am a part of them. The Wolf, Ram, and Hart. Their strength flows through my veins. My blood is filled with their ancient power."

"Can you pick out the one word there you probably shouldn't have said?" Angel smirked as he transformed into his vampire façade. He attacked Hamilton, sinking his fanged teeth deep into his neck. Connor grimaced from where he still lay on the floor. Yes, he knew Angel was a vampire; but he didn't really like the forcible reminder. Hamilton struggled to get free as Angel drunk and finally managed it, tossing the vampire across the room as if he weighed nothing.

What he wasn't expecting was for Angel to control the movement and land squarely on his feet. "Wow. You really are full of it. What was that you were saying about ancient power?"

They continued to fight, but the odds were much more even now. For every blow that his Angel, he countered with just as much force. Hamilton was not willing to give up his advantage and punched Angel in the face, only to be forced to step back when the vampire returned the favour.

"You don't really think you're gonna win this, do you? You don't stand a chance. We are legion. We are forever. " Hamilton ground out, lifting Angel by the neck.

Angel twisted himself free and attacked. "Then I guess forever just got a hell of a lot shorter."

Connor watched anxiously as his father hit Hamilton so hard that it broke his neck. He got to his feet and walked over.

"Is he dead?"

"Yeah, he's dead."

Before Angel had even finished speaking, the floor started shaking causing a deep rumbling to echo through the building. Cracks split the remaining windows as the building came apart.

Connor looked around warily. "That's not good, is it?"

"Wolfram and Hart. Looks like they're taking the gloves off."

"What do we do?"

Angel smiled slightly, despite the situation, at Connor's use of the word 'we'. "You go home."

"Huh?"

"This is my fight." Angel insisted, wanting to get his son out of there.

Connor scoffed. "That's some serious macho-" He broke of with a yell as some debris fell next to him.

"Go home…now." Angel ordered as a concrete support beam fell onto the floor.

"They'll destroy you." Connor said reluctant to leave. He may have told Angel that he couldn't see him until he had his other family in order, but he most definitely intended to get to know him better at some point.

"As long as you're okay, they can't. Go." Yet more of the building fell down around them. "Please, for me."

Connor bit back the automatic retort on his corniness, seeing that he was being serious. Strange as it may seem, he did not feel like this was goodbye. Angel had made it through over two hundred years worth of drama; he'd make it through one more day.

Connor nodded, trying to convey everything he felt in a look. He didn't want to go, but he would, for him. He ran down the hallway to safety where he could activate the reverse port key.

Angel watched him go, hoping that he'd get to see his son again, before turning to go back to the fight.

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Please review!!!!


	14. Love

**A/N:** Well, this chapter got remarkably out of hand and, as I've heard some people have problems uploading chapters over 100KB, it'll be split into two separate chapters- '_Love'_ and '_Through With Me'_. So, yes, this chapter's a little shorter, but the next one only requires only a little bit more editing before its ready so look for it shortly. I'll try and get it up in a couple of days- promise I'll try! Thanks for reading, and enjoy!

**Deliver Me From Evil by Kiara**

**PART TWELVE- LOVE**

Dawn jumped when she felt something brush against her neck. She twisted around, pulling out her wand…only to point it at her boyfriend. She threw herself into his arms, the anxiety she'd been feeling over seeing her mother again momentarily overcome by the relief that he was safe.

"Hey there." Connor said softly. He was surprised by her initial greeting, why would she be expecting someone to attack her? Had something happened while he was away? But, to be honest, he was most preoccupied by thoughts of his real father fighting most likely to the death. Well, to a more permanent death than the one he was currently 'living'.

When Dawn pulled back she looked him over critically. He seemed to be in one piece, physically at least, but he looked…devastated was the best way to describe it, with an unhealthy measure of guilt mixed in for good measure. Something was wrong. Dawn felt her heart lurch at the thought of something happening to a member of what had once been her family. "What's wrong? Is Angel okay?"

To her surprise he dropped down in the chair she'd been sitting in until she'd jumped up at his unexpected arrival. He buried his face in his hands and took a deep shuddering breath as the guilt threatened to overwhelm him. He'd left his father to an almost certain death. He could have helped, that's what he'd gone to do, but he'd left. There was so much he needed to say, so much to apologise for and now he might not get the chance. He needed to prove to Angel that he was okay, to show him that he could be a better son, a better person, even if he couldn't have been that person living with him. But, most of all, he could really use a father right about now.

"Connor? Con, you're scaring me." Dawn said, kneeling next to him. She'd never seen him like this, even when they were children he'd been so sure of himself.

"I left." Connor said dully, his voice sounding muffled as he spoke through his hands. "He told me to go, so I did. I left him to fight God knows what on his own."

He was surprised when she was quiet. He'd expected for the well meant comfort and placating phrases to start immediately but they didn't come. Maybe she knew that he didn't want to hear them.

He felt her arm go around his back, balancing herself as she perched on the narrow arm of the chair he was still slumped in. As she rested her head on his shoulder, he couldn't make up his mind what he felt. Was he grateful she hadn't run away despite him having done that very thing to his father? Could he turn and bury his face in her arms while she whispered soothing nonsense as he tried to blot everything out? But he didn't deserve that, he'd left Angel, he didn't want her pity and was frustrated that she didn't she didn't see how important this was. If he snapped at her, if he took his anger out on her, would she leave?

"What happened?" She asked softly, and all of Connor's other feelings were replaced by that enormous guilt again.

"When I arrived, Angel was fighting this…I don't even know what he was but Angel was loosing. I hit the other guy, made some lame joke and the next thing I know I'm fighting like I used to. Then I'm out, Angel's biting the other guy and then he's dead. The walls were shaking, the whole place was coming down around us and I can hear screaming from outside. I, God, I don't even know what was happening out there, but it was bad, Dawn. He just looks at me and tells me to go; he said that they couldn't destroy him as long as I was alive."

"He loves you." Dawn said. "All he wants is for you to be safe."

"And I repay him by just leaving?"

She flinched at his angry tone, and Connor muttered an apology.

"Did you ever think that maybe he's safer if you're here?" Dawn asked, hoping that he didn't blow up at her. He was understandably touchy right now and she didn't particularly want to set him off after everything that had happened today. "If you were there, then he would have been constantly worrying about you, looking out for you. He would have been distracted and I don't know what he's facing, but he'll need his wits about him."

She sighed as he remained silent. Hopefully that meant that he was at least considering what she was saying. "Con, I know how you feel. Buffy's been off hunting these…these super-demons for the Order since Christmas and, aside from a letter every now and again, I have no idea how she is. We've just got to know that by being here, by not getting in the way and learning better how to fight Voldemort, that we're doing what's best. It's difficult, but life's not meant to be easy. We get by the way we can and hope for the best."

He stared at the wall in front of him. He recognised that what Dawn was saying made sense, but until he knew that Angel was safe he couldn't let go of that guilt gnawing away inside of him. There was too much to do, too much to say and he'd never forgive himself if he didn't get the chance to say it. He nodded curtly, not really trusting himself to speak.

Dawn felt his head jerk. She twisted to place a kiss on his jaw line before sitting more comfortably against him. She didn't know how long they would be waiting for news from Angel, sometimes these battles could be over quickly, sometimes they lasted all night. Connor sat, staring ahead in silence. She knew he was feeling guilty, she also knew that nothing she said would make him feel better.

When she'd fallen asleep, exhausted from the day's events, she didn't know. But when she was woken by Connor getting up from where he'd sat next to her it was still dark outside, though the fire in the grate had burnt itself out. As Connor grabbed the letter from the nervous house elf, she muttered the charm to relight the fire, watching him carefully for any sign as to the outcome of the battle.

Connor opened the letter anxiously. It _had_ to be from Angel- no one else would write him, via the headmaster, at this time of night. And if was writing then that meant he was alive, right? Or someone had written it for him. Much to his irritation, his hands shook slightly as he unfolded the grubby piece of paper.

_Connor. _[he read]

_The worst is over. We have a long way to go, but we've made a big step towards winning. They're running from us, son, but we'll catch them. I hate to have to tell you this, especially in a letter, but we've lost Wes, and Gunn's seriously injured. I don't know how much you remember, but they've both always done what they believed was best for you._

_I never expected you to come to help and, as your father, I feel that it is my job to tell you that you better not put yourself in so much danger again. It was very reckless of you. But thank you. To see you there...well, it meant a lot._

_I have to cut this short, we still have work to do. Stay safe,_

_Dad._

"He's okay." Connor said hoarsely. He reread the letter again, just to double check and then gave it to Dawn to read. "He's really okay."

"That's great, Con." Dawn said with a smile. Then she frowned. "How long was I asleep? You could have woken me you know."

"I know." He did know that. She would have talked with him if he'd have wanted her to. "You were only asleep for an hour or so."

Was that all? She'd have expected it to be longer before they heard anything from Angel. "Well that was quick."

Connor shrugged. It was plenty long enough for him, he'd been waiting on tenterhooks ever since he'd left L.A. "Well it took me a while to walk back up from the Shrieking Shack and get into Hogwarts without getting caught. Plus I kind of took a detour to the Hogs Head."

She froze where she was. She'd been going out of her mind with worry, and he'd had a drink? That was a whole new level of insensitivity. "You did what? Are you mad? Anything could have happened just hanging about in Hogsmeade. Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"What?" Connor was surprised at her reaction. "Dawn, it wasn't late- there were a couple of seventh years still down there when I left. It's not a big deal."

"Not a big deal? _Anything_ could have happened!"

Connor frowned. This had to be about more than him just stopping on the way back to the castle for a drink. "What's wrong? Has something happened?"

"I…When I was walking back to the castle, I saw my mum." Dawn admitted. She hadn't been going to tell him, he'd been worried about Angel and Cassandra would be long gone by now, it was over.

Still, concern filled his face as he checked for injuries. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Connor." She assured him and it was true. Mostly. Okay, so she was a bit freaked out and jumpy, but that would pass.

"Your sure? I just…shit…I don't…shit." He repeated. "What happened? Why didn't you tell me?"

She answered the easier question first. "I was walking back to Hogwarts and I walked down that alley by Madam Pudifoots- she used the imperious. We had a nice little chat- you'll be glad to know she approves of you."

He returned her ghost of a smile. "And why wouldn't she?"

"We argued a bit, about her leaving mainly, until Potter and Granger showed up. Faith had been checking up on me and she knocked her into the wall, so I apperated us back here. And that was all."

"Did anyone see Faith?" Connor asked urgently. If anyone had seen that then her life was in serious danger.

"No, I'm sure."

"Did she hurt you?" Connor asked after a pause.

"No lasting damage." Dawn quipped lightly. A tried and tested coping method. A part of her was mad at herself for letting Cassandra get the upper hand, another part wondered what she'd done wrong. How could her own mother treat her like this? They were meant to have unconditional love and even though she thought that she'd come to terms with the way her mother was, seeing her again made her feel like the little girl who used to wonder what she'd done to make her mummy hate her. It may not have really happened, but she those memories and feelings so it may as well have. Would it be too much for the monk's to put her in a functional family?

Connor eyed her critically, not buying her dismissive attitude. "Does your Dad know?"

"Yeah, and he fussed all evening. The only way I could get rid of him was by telling him I was going to bed."

"You should go to bed, get some rest. The cruaticus curse is no small thing." He was hoping that she'd dispute the last bit, tell him that she hadn't used that curse. But she didn't. He'd grown up with a Death Eater for a parent, he didn't need to use much imagination to know what they were capable of. They don't think twice about using an unforgivable curse.

Dawn rolled her eyes. "And now you sound like Dad."

"Dawn," he said reaching out for her. "This is me. I _know_. I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you."

"She's gone." Dawn muttered.

"I know." Connor said simply.

"She won't be coming back." Dawn said, more to herself than to him.

"Let's hope not." Connor said in the same tone. Let her take the pace of the conversation.

"It wasn't so bad." She whispered, relaxing into his embrace. She bit on a ragged fingernail as Connor rested his chin atop her head and linked his arms around her waist. They stood in silence for a while- it had been a hell of a day for both of them.

"The first time was the worst." Dawn finally whispered. "Even though it was only a weak curse. I know it's stupid, but I wasn't expecting it even though it was just like when I was a kid. I guess I should know better than to talk back."

"It's not your fault, Dawn. You haven't done anything to deserve it."

"I know." Dawn muttered, but Connor could tell she doubted herself. He knew, it had taken him years to stop doing it himself.

"Last summer I got into an argument with Lucius." Connor revealed quietly. He didn't talk about this usually. "I was doing some school work in the drawing room when he came in. He was in a bad mood so I started clearing my stuff away. Then he saw a leaflet that Flitwick had given out in his class. It was about a post-Hogwarts charms thing to prepare us for a career as part of Gringrotts. Adding security charms or some such rot, I wasn't even considering it. Try telling him that. Actually, looking back, I think he believed me, he just wanted to take his bad mood out on someone who wouldn't fight back. I took it, just like always. But then, that's what we do isn't it? Hide behind the mask? I think Mother was actually worried about me, she even brought my meals to my room herself when I couldn't leave it."

"That's horrible." Dawn murmured, looking up at him. She knew why he was telling her this, he wasn't usually one for sharing like this. He wanted her to admit that it wasn't her fault. But it was one thing to know that in theory, another to actually _know_ it.

"That's life." Connor said a touch bitterly. "We make our own choices, and we're responsible for them. No one else."

"I know." She meant it. "I love you." She meant that too.

"Love you too." He smiled and kissed her. "And I thought you needed rest."

"Spoilsport." She pouted, but she was unable to stop the yawn that threatened. Now he mentioned it, she was a bit tired. "Okay, I'm going."

She walked away a few paces before turning to look at him. "Well? Aren't you coming? To sleep." She added firmly causing him to grin. It might have taken them a while to get there, it might take a while longer still, but he had a feeling they'd be alright in the end.

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It was three days since the Quibbler had printed Harry Potter's article, making it the fastest selling issue ever. Educational Decree 27 had made the possession of the Quibbler an expellable offence, but everyone had read it. Including the Slytherins.

Connor nearly laughed out loud when he saw that Potter had named his father. The kid had guts, he'd give him that much. To name several inner circle Death Eaters when Voldemort was already gunning for you was not the smartest move, but it did have style. He wondered if the hate mail had started arriving at Malfoy Manor yet.

It had been the day after the article had been released when Connor had first seen Potter. The younger boy was nervous, looking around the deserted corridor in resignation and certain he was about to be hexed.

Connor reached into his bag and pulled out a copy of the Quibbler that he'd confiscated from Hermione earlier that day. The girl had been distributing them in the library, making sure that it was available to all the students. He'd seen her looking around shiftily, making sure that no one was watching and had immediately gone over to see what she was up to and confiscate points from Gryffindor- he was still a Slytherin after all. When he'd seen what she was doing he regretted coming over. He _wanted_ people to read that article, it would be easier to fight Voldemort with an army behind them rather than people living in a scared denial. But there was no going back and he confiscated the magazine, deducted house points and lectured her about the risk of expulsion. She'd given him a haughty look in response, he had to admire her defiance, and he'd smirked, shoving the illegal item into his bag. Now he rolled his eyes at the 'woe is me' picture of Potter on the front cover and handed it over to a suspicious Harry.

"I believe this belongs to Granger. Interesting reading. A bit different to Skeeter's usual style isn't it?" He'd said quietly.

"What? You mean actually reporting the truth?" Harry had replied boldly.

Conner inclined his head, and Harry swore he saw a flicker of a smile. "Perhaps."

Harry was surprised by the response, expecting Connor to be angry at him for accusing his father. Draco had already tried to curse him once that he knew of and he'd been treated to many dark glares from the Slytherin table. Before he could think to say anything more, Connor had already moved on so Harry hurried back to the common room to tell Ron and Hermione. The more he saw of Connor Malfoy, the more he saw how different he was from the rest of his family.

When Connor got back to Slytherin, he immediately hunted down Dawn. It was getting to be a rare sight, for him to be without her and although some of his housemates were making comments, he found himself not caring.

When he found her, she waved a piece of paper in his face excitedly.

"Buffy wrote me again!" She explained, looking relieved. She had been worried about her sister, especially since contact had been limited to a few brief letters. "She says she wants us to visit at Easter and everything's been taken care of."

"Was there ever any doubt?" Connor said pleased that his reassurances had not been unfounded. Buffy and the slayers had been assigned to taking out some of the demons Voldemort had recruited. From what Connor could remember from his previous life and tidbits picked up in DADA and Care of Magical Creatures, the demons she'd been fighting were only lower level. Voldemort, it seemed, didn't have the confidence to go after the more independent, upper level demons. Minions would not be a problem for the 'Greatest Slayer of all Time'. And besides, Dumbledore would not have sent her on the mission unless he thought she would win.

"I know it was just routine, I know she could handle it. I just worry. Anyway, she says Angel's still helping out and he's fine. Well, 'uber-annoying' was the phrase she used, but I know she meant fine."

He kissed her on the forehead as he sat down at the desk, pulling out books. He was relieved to hear about Angel. He'd only gotten one short letter since he'd left him at Wolfram and Hart and he'd been most relieved to find out that his father had survived.

"You've got work?"

"Essay for McGonagall, due tomorrow." Connor replied as he tried to smooth the creases out of his parchment and make sense of his notes. He'd been more restless lately, probably something to do with the extra strength and energy that came with being part-vampire. He was considering taking up running or something to get rid of that pent up energy.

"Connor Malfoy behind on work, wonders will never cease." Dawn teased.

"Must be your bad influence." He retorted, quill already flying across the page.

"Ha ha." It wasn't often that noise from the Common Room could be heard upstairs, but Dawn could definitely here the faint sound of laughter. "What's going on?"

"Not sure. Umbridge told me she was going to sack Trelawney today, maybe it's something to do with that."

"Teachers pet." Connor gave her a look. He would not be anything's 'pet'. "What? It's true, Con. She bites everyone's head off for the slightest thing, but not yours. It's that Malfoy charm. She's fallen for it hook, line and sinker."

Connor shrugged. "Whatever keeps her off my back is fine by me. She wants me to go to her office after dinner, something about a squad of some sort."

Dawn groaned. If it was Umbridge's idea, then it wouldn't be good. "Oh Merlin, what's she planning now?"

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Faith looked up the minute she heard the door open. It could only be one of a handful of people. "Any word from Angel?"

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Hello to you too."

"You know I've never been big on social niceties."

Dawn grinned at the truth of the statement before answering her first question. "Angel's gonna stick with Buffy for now."

"I bet he is."

"She's already started rambling about cookie dough in her letters and it's only been a day. I think the Spike-Angel combination is sending her a bit insane."

"Already?" Faith raised one eyebrow impressed. "Damn, it takes at least a week for me to have that effect on her."

"I can send her schizo in an hour."

"No need to brag. You have genetics on your side."

"True. How's patrolling going?" Dawn asked with a false air of casualness which did not fool Faith in the slightest. Everyone had been on edge since the Death Eaters escape, not in the least Dawn.

"Slowly. We've even branched out to Hogmeade and there's still not much happening. A few underlings here and there, but that's all. It's making Illyria pissy."

"Just Illyria?"

"I might be getting a tad itchy." Faith admitted. It was no secret that all slayers loved a good fight. No matter how much they tried to be normal, after a week they would get restless. It was just the way they functioned. The severe lack of things to kill in the Hogwarts forest and surrounding villages was starting to take effect and Faith was looking forward to taking a holiday to the Hellmouth. "If that boy of yours ever wants to spar, send him my way. It's not that much fun hitting on a demi-god who could swat you like a fly."

"Sure." Dawn shrugged. Connor had been itching for a fight too. It would do him good to let it out on a slayer rather than another Slytherin. "But if you break him, I'll let Illyria swat you."

"Yeah, yeah. You have you own personal lackey. Rub it in. How you doing anyway? I think Illyria's actually worried about you."

"I'm fine, really." Dawn tried to loose the stiffness from her voice. She'd be a lot better when her mother was back behind bars, but until then she was doing as well as could be expected.

"Maybe you should tell Buffy."

"Maybe we should find her first so that Buffy will have something to unleash her rage on." Dawn countered. "You know how she'll take it."

"Yeah, the same way the rest of us will. Try not to worry about it though. Illyria's on constant watch and I'm up for kicking a little Death Eater ass. We won't let her try anything."

Dawn plastered a fake smile on her face. Though she appreciated the sentiment she really wanted this conversation to be over. "I know."

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Connor leant against the wall hoping not to see anyone running past. If they did, then, as a prefect and not-so-proud member of the new inquisitorial squad, he would have to stop them and take them to Umbridge. And he didn't want to do that; as far as Connor was concerned, if Potter wanted to start a club to fight Voldemort then the best of luck to him. Anything that would help tip the odds in their favor was fine by him.

He heard, and ignored, the heavy footsteps running down the next corridor. But he couldn't ignore the pained shout that followed it and set off at a run to see what was going on.

"Professor Umbridge! I've got one!"

Was that Draco's voice? As Connor rounded the corner, he heard his brother gloating about a tripping jinx to Harry Potter who was still sprawled on the ground.

"You idiot, what do you think you're doing?" Connor hissed, dragging Harry to his feet. "Go."

Harry, still disorientated from his fall, blinked and swayed on his feet.

"What?" Draco asked, torn between confusion and anger. Why was his brother helping Harry sodding Potter?

"Are you thick? He's helping to fight-"

"Mister Malfoy!" Umbridge's voice drifted down the corridor.

With a groan, Connor reached out, grabbed Harry's robes and slammed him back against the wall. He made sure to keep him pinned there by the shoulder, as Draco watched on confused and Professor Umbridge approached.

"Nice work, Mister Malfoy." Umbridge said approvingly.

"He was trying to get to the bathrooms." Connor said, giving Harry a shake for good measure. He cursed his brother's stupidity under his breath.

Umbridge smiled cruelly. "Take him to Dumbledore's office while I check in with the others."

Harry found himself being hauled roughly down the corridor, until they rounded the corner when the grip on him suddenly loosened. Okay, now he was really confused.

"I'm gonna have to take you to Dumbledore's office."

Connor had spoken so quietly, not even looking at him, that Harry wasn't entirely sure what he had said. "Huh?"

"If I don't take you to Dumbledore, Umbridge will know that it's me." Connor said very slowly as if talking to someone deeply stupid.

"So?"

Connor rolled his eyes. Honestly, every time he thought about giving Potter a chance, the kid just ruined it. "So it wouldn't look good. Besides, it wouldn't make a difference, she knows about you now."

Harry considered his options. If Connor thought that he was going to come quietly then he was sorely mistaken. His hand began slowly inching for his wand until-

"Don't even think about it kid. Let's forget than I could curse you where you stand, I know several ways to kill you before you say 'Avada'." Connor said, managing to sound both threatening and amused at the same time.

"And this is meant to be reassuring me that you're _not_ evil?" Harry snarked, following after Connor nonetheless.

Connor resisted the urge to throttle the boy. He just rubbed him up the wrong way, whatever he said. He decided to change the subject before his did something that he would (possibly) regret later. "I don't know how much Umbridge knows, but I do know that it's not all that much. Don't tell her anything and you might not get expelled."

Harry was about to ask how he was going to get away with that against a teacher who wasn't opposed to torture, but they were already approaching Dumbledore's gargoyles.

"I'd put money on Dumbledore already knowing what you've been up to, so let him bail you out. As usual. And, for Merlin's sake Potter, learn to be a bit sneakier next time." With that Connor gave him a shove up the staircase before turning on his heel and heading back to his common room.

Harry glared after him. He still didn't like the Malfoys'. Even if they weren't evil.

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"I heard you caught Potter's vigilante group."

If he was anyone else then she would have made him jump, but he'd heart her heart beating, smelt that scent that was uniquely Dawn. "Yeah- wait, how did you know? It happened less than an hour ago."

"Everyone's talking about it." Dawn answered simply. She sat down next to him, leaning into his side. She got out a roll of parchment and a quill and went back to the homework she'd been doing. Everything seemed to be happening this year. It was far less stressful going to school in America.

"Fantastic." Connor muttered. Because he really loved being the subject of school gossip.

"Well, that and Drake was up here, bitching about you stealing his thunder."

"I didn't mean to." He protested, earning himself a glare from Dawn as he jiggled her from her comfortable position.

Dawn rolled her eyes, tucking her legs up under her and resting her work on her knees. She chewed the end of her quill absently as she read what she'd written. "Whatever, don't tell me you didn't enjoy the chance to shop Golden Boy to the headmaster."

He smirked, looking very much the Malfoy. "There was a certain amount of satisfaction."

"I'll bet." Dawn said, shaking her head. Boys will be boys and all that.

Connor looked over her shoulder at what she was writing. Charms. How tedious. That wasn't entertaining at all. "So…Dumbledore's been fired."

Dawn dropped her quill. "He what?"

Ha, that got her attention. "Yeah, Potter got sent to Dumbledore's office and Fudge was there. Dumbledore admitted forming an army so Fudge tried to arrest him and now Dumbledore's done a runner. Fudge is searching the school for him as we speak and is damn near having a nervous breakdown. The weasel twins have a pool over when he cracks."

Her eyes boggled. "You were only gone for an hour!"

He smirked, unable to pass up such an easy line. He brushed back her hair and kissed her neck. "Well, you know what I can get done in an hour."

Dawn rolled her eyes, well used to his quips and innuendos by now. She was getting better, she hardly ever blushed nowadays.

"I'll give you three guesses who the new headmaster will be."

"If you don't get it on the first guess, then I have severely overestimated your intelligence." A voice came from the shadows.

Connor immediately leapt back from his girlfriend. "Professor Dumbledore! Err, what are you doing here sir?"

"Hiding." Dumbledore said very seriously. He squinted round the room, closing the heavy curtains with a wave of his wand. "As you were about to accurately guess before my rude interruption (which I do apologize for), Professor Umbridge will be announced as temporary headmistress in my absence."

Dawn and Connor exchanged worried glances. They were under Dumbledore's protection, for the moment at least, and if he was a wanted criminal than that would probably make things more difficult. And not just for them; Dumbledore was a big part of the school- the thing that had kept it free of Voldemort's influence (for the most part) during his first reign. If he left now, then it would be like putting a big 'Welcome Voldemort' sign outside the castle.

"And while I have every intention of staying on the grounds," said Dumbledore, reassuring their fears, "I may not be as… available as I once was. And in these times I would rather be here to guide my students."

Dumbledore trailed off. This really had come at the most inconvenient time. With so many doubting Voldemort's resurrection, the pressure was on those who knew the truth, especially as Delores was doing her utmost to crush the spirit of anyone who dared to speak out. He suspected that now the truth regarding 'Dumbledore's Army' (that name make him smile every time) was out, her High Inquisitor's tactics would not be limited to Harry.

He looked again at the two Slytherins. He knew there was a time when they would have to speak out. They would not be able to hide at Hogwarts forever, tucked away in the senior prefect's rooms where no one would bother them. He just hoped that at that time they would step up and not shy away.

He shook his head. Now was not the time for these thoughts, hopefully there would be plenty of time to prepare for that. Hopefully.

"Though I have come to see that you will all support each other when it matters. It is our friends which are our greatest support at times like these." Dumbledore said, offering a last piece of advice before he left.

He just hoped that they would heed his words.

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The next half of this chapter will follow in the next couple of days. Till then, please review.


	15. Through With Me

**A/N:** I will be **MOVING **THIS FIC to the appropriate BtVS and HP CROSSOVER CATEGORIES. This will be the last chapter posted in the misc. category, and I just thought I'd let you know (for anyone who's stuck with me through the long hiatus - sorry about that)

**PART THIRTEEN- THROUGH WITH ME**

"Ooh pretty!"

Connor looked at her in annoyance. "Dawn, that firework is following my little brother around and keeps hitting him."

She shrugged. "Well he is being a bit of an ass at the moment."

"He has his reasons." Connor said evasively. He hadn't told Dawn about Draco's decision, even though he knew she'd guessed correctly. He didn't want to betray his brother at the moment, even if it was making his life difficult.

"I never said he hasn't."

They fell silent as Professor Flitwick showed a scowling Umbridge out of his classroom. "Thank you so much, Professor!" said Professor Flitwick in his squeaky little voice. "I could have got rid of the sparklers myself, of course, but I wasn't sure whether I had the _authority_...." Beaming, he closed the classroom door in her snarling face.

Connor contained his smirk until a glowering Umbridge had walked past them.

"Now _she_ deserves it. I never thought that I'd be thankful for Fred and George." Dawn said, also smirking. Even the Slytherins didn't like Umbridge. They accepted her favouritism, enjoyed the perks, and then laughed about her when her back was turned.

"Connor… Drake, he's dealing okay, right?" She said tentatively. She didn't want to push the issue, Connor was looking out for his brother, she could understand that, but she did worry about _both_ of the Malfoy brothers.

Connor was touched, and a little surprised, by her concern. It was his brother and not Dawn's after all. "Yeah, he'll be fine."

His tone must have betrayed his surprise because she smiled at him and rebuked him gently. "I watched him grow up too, Con. And even when I moved to America, I still came back for the summers. He's a good kid. I care about what happens to him."

"He'll get though it. He's tougher than he thinks he is. More stubborn too."

Dawn nudged him with a grin. "Must run in the family."

When Draco had knocked on his brother's door, he'd been disappointed to see Dawn in there alone. He'd really wanted to talk with his brother, especially now Dumbledore was no longer headmaster (officially anyway- the gargoyles still hadn't let Umbridge into the headmasters office showing her exactly was the school thought of her new appointment).

"Hey Drake." Dawn said with a smile. She was hiding out in Connor's rooms to avoid her father. He was in the worst mood she'd ever seen him in and had even refused to teach Potter any more occlumency despite Dumbledore's insistence on the importance of it. "If you're looking for Connor, then he'll be back in a bit."

"Okay, I'll come back later." Draco sighed. He really couldn't be bothered with Crabbe and Goyle right now.

But Dawn had other ideas. "Don't be stupid. Wait in here with me, I swear I don't bite."

"Good to know." Draco grunted. He was pleased to be away from his classmates, but slightly uncomfortable to be sitting with her knowing everything he knew.

"So how are you?" Dawn asked. She knew Draco had been hoping to talk to his brother, but he wasn't here so she'd have to do.

"Fine." He said guardedly.

"Good. You're being careful and everything?" She pressed further.

"What do you mean?" Even more guarded. Connor had promised not to say anything…

Dawn snorted. "I wasn't born yesterday, Drake. Don't think I don't see though this little secrecy act you and your brother have got going."

"What secrecy act?" Draco tried, but Dawn was rolling her eyes and standing up. She walked over to the door where Connor was leaning against the frame. How long had he been standing there?

"Hi, your brother wants to talk to you. I'll come back later. I should go and see if my Dad's calmed down yet, he's furious at Potter over that pensieve thing and I _really_ don't want him to kill anyone."

Draco averted his eyes as she gave him a kiss. Did they have to be so coupley?

"Must you do that in front of me? You'll scar me for life." Draco bitched, but he couldn't be bothered to muster up enough bite to make it really sting.

"Deal with it." Connor said flippantly and Dawn left with a laugh. "Have a nice chat with Dawn?"

"You said you wouldn't tell her." Draco accused.

"And I didn't, she just sees straight through you. Always has." Connor said with a grin at his brother's glare. Cute, really. "Like that time when you were eight and I lent her your mini broomstick."

"I jinxed it and told her it was faulty." Draco mused as he remembered. He'd been so mad when Connor had not only refused to let him play with them, but had also lent out his favorite toy. It seemed so long ago, a different lifetime even. Back then, Connor could do no wrong, well, almost, and he'd trailed after him like a little puppy. It was sickening now he thought back.

"And she didn't believe you."

"No. She turned my hair pink!" Draco recalled angrily, running a hand through his precious blonde locks.

"Yeah, yeah." Connor grinned. That had been funny. "Point is, she knows you. She cares about you. Maybe you should remember that."

"It's not that I don't trust her…" Draco trailed off, unsure why he didn't want Dawn to know. It's not like she would tell anyone, she was in even deeper than he was and he did believe that the Snape cared about them.

"Then why? She's worried about you, you know. She's been bugging me with all these questions on your wellbeing."

Though he didn't know, he wasn't surprised that Dawn had been asking after him. She'd developed a habit of looking out for him Unbeknownst to Connor, Dawn had given him his first ever kiss. Okay, so it was on the forehead after he'd had a nightmare on a night they were staying at 'Uncle' Snape's and Draco had wiped it off in disgust at the time, but he didn't doubt that she cared what happened to him.

"I know." Draco said. "I just need to get my own head sorted first."

Connor eyed him carefully, but believed he was being honest. "And Merlin knows how long that will take."

"Hey!"

It had only been a week since Umbridge had taken over Hogwarts and she was already causing chaos. Filch ruled the corridors, Mrs. Norris was constantly on the prowl while Umbridge doled out detention for the smallest misdemeanor. The school rules were added to and enforced to the letter by the new headmistress. Students stayed in their common rooms whenever they could to reduce the chance of running into a member of Umbridge's Inquisitorial Squad. But that wasn't enough for her and she had to take things one step further.

"Connor! Wait a minute!"

He stopped so suddenly that she almost ran into the back of him. He spun around violently, his eyes wild and panicked. Dawn had never seen him like this, so out of control and discomposed, and it worried her.

"Governors? She's having the governors visit?" He hissed. "Dawn, do you know who just happens to be a governor?"

"Yeah, your dad."

"He's not my dad."

"Right," said Dawn, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. Was now really the time of that conversation? "So, just stay away from him."

"Stay away from him? Do you really think it'll be that simple? He's a fucking death eater, Dawn; do you really think I'll be able to stay away from him if he decides he wants to see me? I'm sure it'll end really well." Connor said with a sneer.

Dawn's eyes narrowed at his tone. "I know you're not happy about this, but there is no reason to take it out on me."

"Fine." He ground out before turning on his heel and storming off. He was not in the mood to be that rational. He was in the mood to destroy something. He'd kept a lid on everything through dinner, but now he just wanted to be on his own and take his mood out on a bit of personal property. That was how he always did it: keep up the mask in public, and let your guard down later.

He managed to get back to his room, rip up his bed sheets, chuck some parchment at the wall and smash a bottle of ink before the guilt set in. He shouldn't have taken it out on Dawn. She probably would have understood, or at least tried to, and he was too old to be throwing tantrums in his room, even if it was great stress relief. He left his room, levitated himself up the girls' staircase (he didn't want to go sliding down to the bottom on his arse) and knocked on her door.

"Come in." One of her dorm mates called. He couldn't tell which by the voice, he hadn't really bothered to get to know the other four girls, though he did have to put up with Dawn bitching about them every so often.

"You're not meant to be up here." Liza, a pretty girl if it weren't for the make-up she piled on, looked up from her magazine briefly. She didn't sound all that bothered by the appearance of a male in the girls quarters.

"Yeah, 'cause I'm sure Connor Malfoy really gives a shit about the rules. He's far too good for that." A second girl sniped. Connor recognized this girl as Donna whom he'd taken to Hogsmeade a couple of times last year. She glared at him and turned away. It hadn't ended particularly well and a part of him wondered what she might have said to his girlfriend.

"Dawn about?" He asked of the other girls in the room, looking over to where the drapes were partially pulled around her bed.

"Why? What'd you do wrong?" Liza asked sounding marginally more interested than she had before. She was a bit of a gossip.

Genevieve tut-tutted with a smirk. "Hey Dawn, lover boy's here!"

"I'm not deaf." Dawn grumbled from where she was laying reading for potions.

Connor took that to mean that he could go in.

"Dawn-" He noticed out of the corner of his eye that Liza and Genevieve were staring at them and listening in. He closed the curtain around the bed and muttered a charm to stop the sound from escaping. "Dawn, I'm sorry."

"Good." Dawn turned another page of her text book.

"I shouldn't have taken it out on you. I'm an idiot."

"Yep." She still didn't look up from the book.

"Da-wn…" He whined. He hated apologizing and she wasn't making it easy.

"Okay, okay. Apology accepted." She put the book down and grinned at him, showing that she really had accepted his apology.

"Do we get to make up now?" He smirked, leaning forward and giving her a lingering kiss.

She allowed him to pull her to him, but something didn't quite feel right. After a minute she pulled back, a mocking frown on her face. "Connor, are you thinking about your Dad right now?"

He blushed and started playing with her hair. He always did that when he was thinking about something. The last time he'd had a fight with Draco it had taken ages for Dawn to brush out the knots he'd matted in.

"You can tell me, you know."

"I know, it's just, he's coming _here_." Connor said after a pause. "I always thought of Hogwarts as my escape from him."

"It's only for a couple of days, Con. If you would deal with the whole Christmas holidays then you can deal with this."

"I know." He sighed. "But, I don't know, I thought I wouldn't see him again. And he's coming here."

Dawn shrugged. "We'll cope."

He mirrored her action. "I guess we'll have to."

"Well, there he is." Connor said with a sigh.

Dawn refused to let him shake off her hand. She sent him a look which clearly said that he wasn't going to do this alone.

"Father." Connor said vaguely.

"Hi Mister Malfoy." Dawn said with a smile.

"Connor," he nodded a greeting to his son. "And Dawn," he added a little more curtly. He had wanted to speak to his son alone but it seemed that they were joined at the hip. Connor had even stopped writing home ever since he'd started seeing that girl, or so his wife had informed him. He didn't really have the time to read childlike prattle from Hogwarts; his wife relayed any news of importance.

"Hey Mister Malfoy" said Dawn cheerily. She ignored the frosty tone of his voice. What did she care if Lucius Malfoy didn't like her?

Lucius glanced at his heir sharply when he stayed quiet and Connor hurriedly nodded a greeting. Where were the boy's manners?

"How is you school work going? Are you both prepared for your N.E.W.T.s?" He asked smoothly. It was important that Connor get good grades to follow in his footsteps. No one would take him seriously if he didn't do well.

"I'm ready." Connor said quietly.

"The professors have been running revision classes." Dawn said to fill her silence that followed. "They're making sure that we'll do well."

"As you should." Lucius said firmly. Nothing less would be tolerated. He supposed that if the worst should happen, he could always bribe a few of his contacts to overlook Connor's results, but he didn't mention that. He didn't want the boy to get complacent.

Connor cleared his throat. He wanted this to be over now. "Well, we better sit down for breakfast."

Lucius looked at him closely. Connor usually waited to be dismissed rather than initiating it himself, that was the way he'd been brought up. He'd been acting strangely during the whole exchange; distant and much quieter than normal. Connor had always been quiet, but today it was bordering on rudeness and that wouldn't do. However it could very well 'talk' to him about it in the Great Hall with half the school present.

"Very well." Lucius nodded, intending to take this up later when Dawn Snape wasn't around. "I'll speak with you later son."

Connor nodded and muttered an affirmative response before turning on his heel and walking off towards his table.

"Well that was okay." Dawn muttered giving his hand a squeeze. She'd notice how on edge he'd been during the exchange.

"If by 'okay' you mean tense and awkward, then yes. It was okay" said Connor dryly, though he conceded that it could have been much worse.

Dawn rolled her eyes and attempted to get him to smile. "Well duh, that's how it's meant to be with family."

As they walked off, still hand in hand, Lucius saw Connor start to laugh at something Dawn had said, but when he saw his father watching he immediately sobered up. Was Lucius imagining it, or did his son just glare at him? The boy couldn't be engaging in a little teenage rebellion could he? Lucius had thought that he'd got off scot free with Connor, there had never been any problems throughout his adolescence, as well Lucius would expect from his heir. He wouldn't put up with any nonsense now. His eyes drifted to Dawn. There had never been any problems until she'd come on the scene. Maybe he had been wrong to assume that she would be the right match for his son.

Lucius narrowed his eyes. This wouldn't do. "Imperio."

"Connor! Wait up!"

He heard her running towards him, but he didn't bother to turn around. He glared as she approached, he was in a hurry.

"What do you want?"

She gave him a look at his odd tone but shrugged it off. He'd been a bit short ever since he'd found out about Umbridge's plans for a governors visit. "My dad wants to see you."

"What for?" He crossed his arms across his chest and glared. He had things to do; he couldn't just drop everything for Snape.

She rolled her eyes. "Take a wild guess. McGonagall was one step away from giving you detention today; she probably informed your head of house that you were acting like a jackass. What, do tell, was the point in baiting the Gryff's in her class? McGonagall's the _head_ of Gryffindor; she was never going to be lenient and you're _never _that harsh with anyone. Please, clue me in here, what's wrong with you? You've been acting weird ever since your Dad arrived. And I mean weirder than normal."

"No, I'm not." He said through gritted teeth. Who was she to have a go at him? And who cares if he had a go at the goody-too-shoes Gryffindorks? It's what true Slytherins did. And he was nothing if not a true Slytherin.

"Yeah, you are. What's up?" She grabbed his arm when he sped up walking. He _was_ acting weird. "Connor!"

"_What?_" A couple of students walking past stared at his raised voice- it was an unusual sight to see him loose his composure. He lowered his voice. The last thing he needed was to have more people butting in on his business. "What do you want _now_? Seriously, would it kill you to live without my input for just five seconds?"

She blushed as the students stared at her and started whispering. "What's your problem?"

"My problem? Did it ever occur that it could be you? I need some time to myself, Dawn."

"Excuse me?" Where was this coming from?

"Did I stutter?"

"Fine, you want time to yourself, you've got it." She swirled around with a flick of hair and stalked off, the anger she felt keeping the tears at bay. How dare he speak to her like that? If she'd have stopped for a moment, she might of questioned how out of character it was. But she didn't.

As she left, Connor couldn't stop the huge feeling of regret that hit him like a tidal wave, but he couldn't make himself go after her. What was wrong with him? It was like he was watching every stupid thing he'd just said, but couldn't stop it. It was like he wasn't even there, it wasn't him. Why did he loose control like that?

Wait a minute… He wouldn't do that…Unless something made him…Unless someone made him.

Oh shit.

Once he knew that it was there, it didn't take long for him to fight off the imperious curse. He'd had 'some experience' with it before. Lucius Malfoy had no qualms about using unforgivable curses on his sons. Connor had know this for years, yet he was still surprised. Why had he done it? Did he suspect that his son was against Voldemort? No, if his father really knew anything then Hagrid would be discovering his body in the Forbidden Forest any time now. He couldn't know, and it wouldn't be the first time that Voldemort's right hand man cursed for fun. Maybe he'd just gone off Dawn- he could want someone richer or of purer blood. Maybe he thought that Connor needed to focus more on school or Voldemort. Maybe he was just bored.

Whatever the reason, Connor was pissed. Not only had he been an arse to his classmates (it may be a Slytherin thing to make fun of the Gryffindors, but Connor had never been that into it…well, not without good reason), but he'd been a complete arse to his girlfriend. He was now striding after Dawn, hoping that she'd let him explain and would understand why he'd been acting like a prick since…damn, how long had he been under the curse? Two days? How could he not have noticed? Lucius must have been quite smart about it, not making him do anything particularly out of character or forcing him into anything until today. No one had questioned it, well, not seriously anyway but now he was looking back he could see the signs there.

He entered the Slytherin common room and went upstairs to her dorm which was thankfully empty. Her room mates must have gone to dinner.

She glared at him when he came in, though she was surprised to see him. "What. Do. You. Want?"

He winced at her tone. He'd known she wouldn't exactly be pleased to see him and hadn't been expecting a warm welcome. "I wanted to explain."

"Explain? I thought you wanted _space_." She said, spitting out the last word. She managed to keep glaring at him for another moment before sitting back on her bed. "Just go away."

"Dawn…"

"I think you've said all you need to, Connor."

"No, that wasn't me." He said, hoping she wouldn't hex him and kick him out. "You _know_ that's not me. I wouldn't do that."

She sighed, slightly intrigued despite her attempts to remain uninterested. "What are you talking about?"

"Lucius shows up for this governor's visit and then things start going wrong. You said yourself that I was acting weird."

"I… The imperious?" Dawn frowned. A part of her wanted to believe him, it was possible she supposed, but how could she be sure he was telling the truth?

"I didn't realise until I saw you walking away. I couldn't stop myself from saying those stupid things. I think he thought we were getting too close or something and wanted me to get some distance, to be a bit more 'Slytherin' about things. I'm sorry, Dawn, I didn't know what I was doing."

"But you broke the curse?" She was chewing on her bottom lip. It made sense in a screwed up kind of way. Lucius had been off with her and if he wanted Connor to end things then he wouldn't be against forcing him to do so.

He nodded empathetically. She believed him. He took that as a cue that she wasn't going to hex him into oblivion and sat down next to her. "I started to question why I was doing things I didn't want to. When I figured it out it was easy enough to break. I don't think it was full strength, or maybe it was just wearing off- I haven't seen Lucius recently so he wouldn't have been able to renew it."

Dawn nodded. "Well, you're part vampire or something. I wouldn't expect curses to affect you in the same way it would a normal wizard."

"You believe me?"

"Shouldn't I?" She said, a hint of teasing in her voice. "I wouldn't put anything past Lucius Malfoy and you _were_ acting differently, I should have noticed earlier but I didn't think."

"I'm sorry." Connor said sincerely. Even if technically it wasn't his fault, he was still sorry for hurting her.

"I know. Its okay, Connor; I get that it wasn't you."

"I wouldn't do that." He said with a nod. It was important for her to know that.

"I know you wouldn't. If I'd have stopped to think then I would have put two and two together, but I didn't I just, I don't know," she shrugged, looking away from him a little embarrassed. "I thought you'd got tired of me or something."

He reached over and grabbed her hand, rubbing a rough thumb over her knuckles and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. "That's not going to happen."

Dawn smiled at him. It was hard just to forget what he'd said, and the blank look in his eyes had scared her at the time. He never looked that empty and even thought she now knew that it was a side effect of the spell it still freaked her out a little. He'd as good as broken up with her and, spell or no spell, a small part of her still worried that he'd meant it. That he was feeling suffocated by their relationship. Another bigger part of her felt guilty for a small part which was holding him responsible for the spell- Why hadn't he noticed sooner? No, it wasn't his fault- that wasn't the problem. The problem was wondering where those feelings had come from.

"I'm so sorry." Connor repeated again as he sensed her awkwardness, but Dawn only rolled her eyes. He didn't need to keep apologising for something his non-father had done.

"Stop apologising- It wasn't you, it wasn't even your fault."

Connor's expression darkened. He stood up and paced the length of the dorm angrily. "No. It wasn't."

"Connor...?"

"I'm gonna kill him"

It was a normal school dinner. But that wasn't meant to last.

Lucius Malfoy stood from his place at the temporary governors table which had been set up at the side of the Great Hall as he saw his oldest son approaching. Lucius was surprised; Connor actually looked angry and for him to be betraying any emotion at all meant that he was serious. Was it possible that he'd broken the imperious curse? Surely not, Lucius had cast it himself. A teenage boy, not yet fully trained, would not be able to break through.

All eyes were on the Malfoy heir as he purposely strode across the hall, Dawn Snape walking briskly behind him and biting her lip as if she wanted to say something, but wasn't sure what.

"Connor," Lucius started impassively. "What's the meanin-"

Connor punched him, barely remembering to hold a bit back at the last minute. As it was, Lucius went flying back into the governors table.

A hush settled around the hall, even the teachers were too stunned to get up and go over. This was not like Connor Malfoy, and no behaviour like it had ever been seen in the Great Hall.

"You bastard." Connor spat quietly, but everyone heard in the silent hall. "Did you really think I wouldn't realise it was you?"

Lucius wasn't sure how to react. He couldn't get into a row about this in front of all these witnesses. He reached into his robes for his wand. "Connor; you're making a scene."

"Does it look like I fucking care?" He yelled. Connor forced himself to take a step back from where he loomed over his not-father. He wouldn't hit him again; it would only make things worse. He saw his father reaching for his wand and stepped on it, holding the 10 inches of elm firmly against the floor. "Going to curse me again... _Dad_?"

"You're speaking nonsense." Lucius growled. Someone else must have gotten to the boy. That was the only answer. He saw Dawn hovering over his shoulder nervously. It had to be the girl. He knew she'd be a bad influence if they got to close. He should have put a stop to it earlier.

"No, for the first time in my life I'm actually making sense." Connor said. As he spoke, it was like a huge weight was lifting off his shoulders. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Draco watching the scene seemingly impassively, but Connor knew better- he could see the mix of emotions in his eyes. There was nerves, but also satisfaction that someone was finally standing up to their father.

"You don't know what you're doing, boy." Lucius said, the edge of a threat obvious in his voice.

At the teachers table, McGonagall was watching the whole scene play out- ready to jump in at a fraction of a second's notice and glad that Umbridge wasn't present. She was aware the Severus was trying to catch her eye, trying to get her to do something, but she didn't want anyone (especially Snape) to get involved at the moment. This might be the opportunity they'd been looking for to get Connor away from the Malfoy's.

"I know exactly what I'm doing." Connor laughed darkly. He'd been imagining this moment for years, but he had to play it carefully or all everything would be for nothing. "We're through."

"I beg your pardon?" Lucius said, tilting his head back to look down his nose at his son even though he was still half-fallen against the table.

"I'm though with you, though with your life, though with everything. I don't need you anymore, I don't want you anymore. From now on, I'm on my own."

Dawn's eyes widened. She knew that Connor was mad, but she hadn't expected that. This was bound to have repercussions.

Connor leaned forwards, getting so close to Lucius that no one else could hear him. "I'm not going to be your puppet anymore, _Father_." He hissed, dimly aware that over at the teachers' table, Snape had gotten to his feet. "I make my own decisions; this is my life and I'll live it how I want to."

With that, Connor leant back and began to walk away from Lucius, his heart pounding so loud that he was sure someone might hear it.

"_Stupefy_!" Lucius cursed at his son's retreating back, mindful that he was still in Hogwarts. He'd just have to wait to they were alone before he could use the imperious- and this time he'd make sure it couldn't be broken.

But the spell never reached its target as Connor neatly side stepped the curse. Several people gasped as Connor correctly guessed the path of the curse and dodged it despite it being aimed at his back. Connor looked back at his father, one eyebrow raised and giving him that _'really, is that the best you can do?'_ look which made the elder man glower and raise his wand again.

"That will do, Lucius." McGonagall said, coming down from her position. She turned to address Connor. "Connor, please return to your quarters. I will deal with you shortly."

Connor gave a short nod, one last pitying glare at Lucius and stormed out in a flurry of robes. The entire hall watched him go, before turning to whisper to each other. Dawn sidled out after him.

"Lucius," said McGonagall sternly. "If you ever attack any of the students again, then you will not be allowed to return to the castle."

"I am a senior governor, McGonagall." Lucius hissed below the noise of the students whispering. "And I will discipline my sons as I see fit."

McGonagall smiled, managing to look both amused and dangerous at the same time. "Ah, but Lucius, while they reside in at Hogwarts they are not your sons, but my students. Now, I believe the governors are satisfied with the running of the school, so if you'd be so kind as to leave when you have finished your meals then Mister Filch will show you out."

"It's not the time, Lucius." Snape injected quietly, managing to get though to his 'friend' when he was about to argue.

Snape returned to the staff table, three pairs of eyes following him more intently than the rest.

"Well, he's gone and done it now." Ron said, and was immediately hushed by Hermione. Ron rolled his eyes, but lowered his voice anyway. "I think it's a little late for bleeding secrecy now, Hermione, he just announced it to the whole ruddy school."

"No, not everything." Hermione hissed. "He said nothing about... you-know-what, he just had an argument with his dad."

"There was more to it than that." Harry said, and he had a pretty good idea what. Who said that snooping was a bad thing? Ron and Hermione were looking at him questioningly. "I overheard a bunch of people saying he'd been acting weird since Lucius Malfoy showed up. And Snape told McGonagall that he'd skipped a meeting they were meant to have. Plus, he just said something about cursing him again..."

"The imperious." Ron finished with a nod.

"But would he do that to his son? I thought Connor was meant to be the perfect heir?" Hermione said. She'd heard about how Lucius had long been grooming Connor to carry on the Malfoy legacy and, for appearances sake, he'd been doing just that.

"I wouldn't put anything past the Malfoy's." Harry said darkly. As far as he was concerned, Lucius Malfoy was a heartless bastard with no sense of what's right. Family wouldn't matter to him, he was only concerned about number one.

"So that was quite a show you put on there." Dawn said dryly.

Connor looked up from where he was lying on the bed and, to her surprise, smiled. "Tell me about it."

"You don't think that maybe you might have provoked him more? That it might have been a bad idea?" The Malfoy name gained respect from people in the wizarding world. Not the right people, but it still offered him some protection. Now those people would be out for blood. Specifically, Connor's blood.

To Dawn's irritation, he ignored her. "I finally feel like I'm free. He can't ruin my life anymore..."

"Yeah, he can!" Dawn injected, but she was ignored again.

"...and I can live my life how I want to. And I didn't give anything away about the Dark Lord. As far as everyone's concerned, I'm still Connor Malfoy, only I don't have a father."

"Connor, you're an idiot." Dawn sighed. Did he really think that this would change things? Change how people treated him?

He finally took notice of her. "Maybe I am. Look, I know it's still dangerous, but I had to go against him some time. And this way I'm still protected by Hogwarts for a couple of months- he wouldn't try anything here."

"Like, I don't know, put you under the Imperious curse?" Dawn said sardonically.

Connor still wasn't fazed. "He won't get that chance again. Look, we can worry about all the details later, but for now can't you just be happy for me? I just broke free of Lucius and he didn't even try to kill me!"

"Only because there were witnesses." Dawn muttered, but still she crossed the room and lay down next to him.

They both lay there thinking in silence. Once again, reality had been forced upon them. Connor had disowned his family, it was yet another leap towards their final destination (which would probably be death). No matter what, Lucius wouldn't forget this. There really was no going back.

"We're totally screwed aren't we?" Dawn said finally.

Connor sighed. "Pretty much. But I still say it's better than the alternative."

"Living normal lives?" Dawn said dully. That sounded pretty darn good to her.

"Aww sweetheart," Connor said in an appalling imitation of an American accent, but it achieved the desired result as she smiled. He waved his wand and the room transformed; the lights dimmed, the fire lit itself and all the candles magically glowed. "Normal's overrated."

Please review!!!!


	16. Live Life

A/N:** Just so people know where I'm at with this story, there's most likely to be three more chapters and an epilogue before it's finished. And there will be no full length sequel. I've taken it as far as I can.**

**Deliver Me From Evil by Kiara**

**PART FOURTEEN- LIVE LIFE**

"Malfoy!"

Connor groaned. He recognised that tone of voice, he'd heard it a lot in the previous week or so, and usually from his own housemates while there were no teachers around. If he'd realised how much trouble breaking free from Lucius would cause…well, he'd have still done it. At first Connor had quite enjoyed the duelling and fighting. Since Christmas he had been quite jittery- the Destroyer in him had wanted to make a come back and now, thanks to all the students queuing up to have a go, he had his chance to vent all that son-of-vampires energy. However after having been in eight duels and countless threats and arguments, the Destroyer was willing to take a break.

He turned around slowly. Ahh Nott. Of course it would be Nott. Fantastic. At least he hadn't tried to curse him in the back like that idiot Greene. Connor raised one eyebrow in askance, reaching for his wand. It wasn't like any of the students could match him anyway, especially with his supernatural reflexes.

Nott obviously wasn't too bright, or was completely overconfident in his abilities to take on his disgraced housemate. The morning's classes had just let out which meant the corridor was chock full of students shamelessly staring, all moving back to try and avoid getting caught in the crossfire. Slytherins fought dirty, fact, and no one wanted to spend the rest of the day painted florescent orange from a stray colour-changing hex. 

"Malfoy." Nott repeated. He took a couple of steps forward and the muggle part of Connor's brain likened it to one of those old Western film.

"What. Do. You. Want?" Connor asked through gritted teeth. He'd never liked Nott, not even in those fake memories Wolfram and Hart created. Oh well, at least he could hex him legitimately now.

"Blood traitor." Nott hissed. He lazily trained his wand on the Malfoy.

Connor tilted his head, considering the statement. It was the first time anyone had out and out accused him of being a blood traitor, to his face anyway, so now he could address the issue. He didn't have a death wish, it was important for the wizarding world to believe him to still be loyal to Voldemort. If they believed that, then hopefully he'd get through the year without a price on his head, maybe even Lucius would hold off, thinking there was still 'hope' for him. If Connor turned his back on Voldemort, Lucius would have to pay for bringing up a blood traitor and he'd do just about anything to avoid that.

"I'm as true to my blood as I ever was." Connor said in a low voice that wouldn't carry to the students around him. Yes, he wanted word to get around to a few of his housemates but he didn't want the whole school to accuse him to being a Death Eater. "I've just cut out that middle man."

Something flickered in Nott's eyes. Surprise, fear, uncertainty…something. Had Connor Malfoy just insinuated his allegiance to Voldemort? No one was foolish enough to do that in Hogwarts; the walls literally had ears thanks to the portraits. But if it was true, Nott couldn't risk pissing off a supporter of Voldemort.

Nott looked around with a sweep of his eyes. He couldn't back down now. He raised one eyebrow. Connor smirked slightly. Nott jerked his wand.

"Stupefy!"

But it didn't hit its target. With a wave of his wand Connor deflected the curse and returned with a disarming charm. Now holding Nott's wand, Connor wordlessly turned and walked down the corridor. He stopped around the bend and leant against the wall, waiting for the other Slytherin to catch up.

"My wand?" Nott drawled with false bravado as he spotted his classmate down the corridor. If Connor really was an all-out Death Eater, then Nott really didn't want to be on his bad side.

Connor pulled it back out of reach. "You tried to hex me. That wasn't very nice."

"Yeah right. If I was really trying to hex you, you'd be lying in the corridor-"

Connor scoffed. "Whatever."

"-but I think we can agree that all that was a small misunderstanding, don't you? Like the two like-minded adults that we are."

Connor paused a moment, not breaking eye contact with Nott. He wasn't sure what he was looking for; proof that the other boy had brought his story, some inkling that he hadn't. Whatever he saw was enough as he dropped the wand into Nott's outstretched hand. "I suppose so. Just this once. Hex me again, and you'll find out just what this Malfoy can do, father or no father."

In a flurry of robes, he was gone. Connor smirked as he strode off. There was something satisfying about knowing you'd played the game just so. It would have made his father proud…if Connor hadn't disowned the worthless jerk. Now it was just him, for once in his life living the way he wanted to, and getting one over on his so-called father while he did it. Merlin, he was good. Damn good.

"Someone's looking mighty pleased with themselves."

Connor grinned at his girlfriend. "That's because I am a genius."

She didn't look all that convinced. "Really?"

"Yeah." He grabbed her hand and pulled her closer. "Your very lucky to be going out with me, you really are."

"Uh-huh." She surrendered to the kiss, not caring that they were in the corridor where anyone could see. That probably went with the new 'bad boy' image Connor had been trying to create for himself anyway. She'd even gone along with it a little herself, though she never wanted to be one of those Death Eater trophy wives. A little more kohl around the eyes to get her into the darker character and acting like a bit of a spoilt princess seemed to do the trick; mix one part brat with three parts haughty tart, add a sprinkling of bitch and you had the perfect Slytherin queen. Her father wasn't happy of course, but she'd just explained that now she couldn't rely on Connor's Malfoy status for acceptance from her housemates anymore, she had to become a bit more Slytherin about things. And then, like a real grown up, she avoided him for a couple of days so he could get used to the idea.

She'd told her roommates the, ahem, 'full' story- that Connor was still as much as a Malfoy as before, he'd just gotten tired of Lucius always pushing him about- and they seemed to buy it, even if they still didn't approve one hundred percent. Family meant a lot in the pure blood circle, but give them time, and it would settle. However Dawn wasn't really worried about that now; her time was a bit preoccupied with her boyfriend. It was the first time in her life when she wasn't worried about what people thought of her. Thanks to Connor, they had spent the last few days as outcasts and it wasn't anywhere near as bad as she had thought it would be. No more fake friendships or sucking up to her roommates, even the freaky family issues were fading into the background. For once, there was only now, taking life one step at a time. 

Connor let one hand drag down to her hip. The public displays of affection were definitely a perk of being free of Lucius. Now if he got caught doing something against the rules, he'd be glad of the stress it would cause Lucius and hoped word would get back to him via a letter from the school or the Slytherin grapevine. Now if he didn't act like the harsh, emotionally stunted Malfoy everyone would expect to be Lucius' heir there were no repercussions (well, no worse than they already were anyway). Even though he was still pretending to be evil, he felt freer than he ever had before.

Sounds of arguing reached their ears, but Connor resolutely ignored them. Even when he recognised his brother's voice he really didn't want to get involved. Draco always picked the worst moments to be a little brat. The arguing got closer and closer until it was right on top of them.

Draco ignored the undoubtedly scathing insult (well, as scathing as Potter could manage) as he happened upon his brother making out with Snape's daughter for what seemed like the hundredth time. Seriously, they had a room, why not use it? "Oh bloody arse crap and fuck. Not again."

Dawn broke away at the sound of Draco's less than impressed cursing. She grinned. Was it wrong that she love to irk him so much? He was like the little brother she'd never had. "Hey Drake, playing with the Gryffs?"

Draco glared at her darkly. "Not even if you paid me. Must he do that?"

Connor, who had been determinedly kissing Dawn's neck and hoping the fifth years would hurry up and leave, looked up annoyed. "Yes, he must. Piss off."

The three Gryffindors, Hermione looking disapproving, Ron looking reluctantly impressed and Harry switching between the two and glaring at Draco, seemed happy to oblige. Or at least Hermione did, and she dragged the other two with her.

"This isn't over, Malfoy…err little Malfoy." Ron called back over his shoulder.

"Actually I think you'll find it is. Twenty points from Gryffindor for being such idiots. Each." Connor added for good measure. He smirked evilly. "You know, maybe this inquisitional squad rubbish isn't so bad."

The Slytherins grinned, especially when they heard Harry mutter "I really don't like him" and then saw Hermione crack each of them round the head for being idiotic. Sometimes it was good to be morally ambiguous Slytherins rather than perfect, saintly Gryffindorks. It made life _so_ much more interesting.

"You two, leave." Connor commanded his brother's lackeys. Crabbe and Goyle grunted, but hastily agreed. There was no way that they were crossing Connor Malfoy, especially when they'd be standing in between him and his brother. They'd leant that in first year when they'd been unable to figure out the counter charm to Connor's body swap jinx. To this day, Draco was still not a hundred percent certain that they had successfully been swapped back into their original bodies.

"It wasn't my fault." Draco said automatically. For once it was actually true; the last few weeks he'd just been trying to keep his head down and slip under the radar. Connor had been causing enough upset for the both of them.

"So you didn't provoke him at all? Didn't argue back or try to hex him?" Connor said knowingly. Even though he didn't really like Saint Potter, he still knew that Hogwarts' golden boy wouldn't just start a fight with his brother for no reason. No matter how appealing that may sound.

Draco was quiet for a moment. But only for a moment. "Oh fine, what-frigging-ever. You're not so perfect either. At least I wasn't duelling with Nott in the corridor in front of everyone!"

Dawn gave him that patented 'oh-Merlin, what-have-you-done-now' look. "Nice going, _genius_."

"It wasn't like that." Connor assured her quickly. "Drake, that was necessary. But you, you just seem to enjoy making your life more difficult."

Draco stared at Connor like he was crazy. "Why would I do that? You're just pissed off because I interrupted you snogging your girlfriend."

"Hey!" Dawn said, but, like every time the Malfoy brothers were around each other, she was ignored.

"I'm just looking out for you."

"Yeah, well, do it quietly." Draco retorted before spinning round and stalking off down the corridor.

Connor shook his head with a bit of a smirk as Draco wandered off. "That boy…"

"Really? I was just thinking how alike the two of you are." Dawn remarked dryly.

He grinned at her briefly before going back in to finish the kiss he'd started earlier.

Dawn jerked her head back. "Duelling?"

"Not how it sounds." Connor promised.

"Uh-huh." She wasn't convinced.

"Really." He picked up her hand and rubbed a thumb over her knuckles in what he hoped was a sexy, soothing manner. "Why don't we go back to the dorms and I'll tell you what happened?"

She smiled and he thought that he'd got away with it. Then the smile dropped off. Damn, so close. "Yeah right. Its lunch time and I'm sure I'll be able to hear all about it at our table."

Connor winced. "Fantastic."

"Read chapter six." Snape said curtly as he entered his advanced potions class. The students exchanged looks and pulled out their text books wordlessly. No one was going to risk crossing Snape in this mood.

Severus sat at his desk glaring round at the students. It was convenient at times to have so many handy bodies to vent his frustrations on. He'd gotten very little sleep that night and the last thing he'd wanted to do was teach a first period class. Voldemort was planning something, this much he knew, but he hadn't been able to find out any useful information. Other than the fact that the Dark Lord still hadn't been able to get that sodding prophecy involving bloody Potter.

He'd heard rumours amongst other Death Eaters though. Apparently Voldemort's demonic army was taking shape; he had found absolutely no information of use to the Order, but it was causing unease and that was never a good thing. For now though, all he could do was sit and speculate… and glare whenever the Malfoy boy whispered something to his daughter.

"You're dad looks like he's sitting on a blast ended skrewt." Connor breathed as he turned the page he was reading. He saw her smile out of the corner of his eye and reached over to hold the hand resting on her knee. She smiled again and leaned a little closer.

"You two are sickening." Nott muttered. He'd been hanging around Connor more recently, hoping to ride on his robe-tails all the way to the top of Voldemort's favour.

"Jealous?" Connor whispered keeping his eyes on the text in front of him. He really didn't want to give Snape a reason to yell at him. He snuck a glance at Dawn; not another reason to yell at him anyway.

Nott snorted quietly. He kept one wary eye on Snape, but the professor was glaring at two girls who had started muttering in the back row. "I'm jealous of anyone who's getting any on a regular basis."

As Connor grinned, his girlfriend dug her nails into his hand as hard as she could, making him very grateful for his vampire inheritance otherwise that would have really hurt. "What? He was the one that said it!"

Dawn glared at him. "Be nice or I won't let you come to America with me."

"You're going to America?" Nott asked. He'd gone to America when he'd received his apperating licence, but had gotten lost navigating the long journey home and had never gone back.

"To visit a couple of friends." Dawn answered the standard answer. It was logical really, she had gone to school there for six years. "I thought I'd let Connor tag along."

"Wow. A couple holiday. How special." Nott remarked keeping his voice carefully neutral. "I would have thought that you'd have…better things to do, Malfoy."

"Not until after graduation." Connor said lazily. "For now, a trip abroad with my girlfriend sounds pretty good."

Snape caught the tail end of his statement and stopped. Connor was going to America with Dawn? Like hell he was. When his daughter had asked his permission to spend a week of the Easter holidays with Buffy and co. in Cleveland he'd bitten his tongue and agreed. There had been no mention of a hormone-driven boy accompanying her. He looked at the clock on the wall and saw half an hour left of the lesson.

Screw it. "Class dismissed. Finish the reading for tomorrow."

As his daughter and 'The Boy' started packing their things away he scowled. "_Not _you two."

"Nice knowing you Malfoy." Nott grinned as he slid out the door.

"I hear the two of you are planning a trip to America." Severus said after counting to ten very slowly. He could remain calm.

"Possibly." Dawn answered carefully as Connor wisely stayed quiet. "Well, Connor's got family in Cleveland as well- it makes sense."

"There is no way I'm letting him go to another country with you." Snape ground out. The Easter holidays were over two weeks long, why couldn't they go separately?

"Why not?" Dawn asked angrily. She hated it when he laid down the law so irrationally, like she was stupid or something. "We live together at Hogwarts!"

"Where I can keep an eye on you both." Snape countered.

Connor kicked Dawn to prevent whatever comment she was about to make. It was bound to make him look bad and he liked his internal organs where they were, thank you very much.

Dawn rolled her eyes as her father remained in the ignorant bliss all parents clung too for dear life. As soon as their children hit puberty, they do their best to forget what they were like as teenagers and what their children were most likely doing now. It was probably best for all parties that way. "Connor. Leave. Now."

The Malfoy wasted no time in doing as he was told when the elder Snape raised to objections and continued the glaring match with his daughter. There was no way he wanted to be in the middle of this and chances are it would end up being his fault in one way or another anyway. The more distance there was between him and his girlfriend's father, the better.

"Dad, I'm almost eighteen. You're going to have to trust me at some point. Besides I was living in America all on my own for six years and you didn't give a damn then… I didn't mean that." Dawn added immediately, and truthfully, at his dejected look. "Look, you think you're over-protective? You should see Buffy and Xander and don't even get me started on Spike."

Severus cracked the barest smile. He could believe that from what limited exposure he'd had to the group. "I am only looking out for your best interests."

"I know, but I love Connor. Really properly do. And he loves me, I know he does. This isn't just two kids mucking around, Dad, this is it."

He didn't break the level stare he'd kept with her throughout the confrontation. His daughter really was in love. She was too young to be in love. No, she wasn't really. But she was his little girl. Who was in a serious relationship. Oh crap, if this didn't cause trouble then he'd drink one of the Weasley boys' potions.

"Very well."

"Very well?" Dawn eyed him suspiciously. She'd expected it to be more difficult than that, she'd expected to have to plead her case. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Dawn, all I want if for you to be happy."

"I am."

"Then I'll support you." He said in the same gentle tone as before. "And if he hurts you then I'll hunt him down and make him suffer."

"Sooo…port key leaves in two minutes." Dawn said with a wave of the slightly dented frying pan which would act as their method of transport. She would have said anything to fill the awkward silence that had descended on the group as the stood at the edge of the wards surrounding Hogwarts.

Severus reluctantly stopped glaring at Connor to say his loving goodbyes to his daughter. "Don't do anything reckless." 

Dawn rolled her eyes at his abrupt manner. "As if, Dad. I'm just going to visit family. We'll spend the week going shopping, drinking coffee and playing Monopoly."

They both ignored Faith's snort. She and Illyria had opted to travel back with Connor and Dawn. Well, Illyria had demanded that they go with them really, but Faith wasn't going to turn down the opportunity to head back to the States, catch up with her family, and kill some demons. For something called the Forbidden Forest, there was surprising little to slay, especially considering that there were dozens of Death Eaters on the loose and it was right in the back garden of Harry Potter, who was supposedly number one on Voldemort's most wanted. Protecting the castle and students wouldn't even qualify as a part time job, and for Faith, who had never been happy just sitting around, it was beyond boring.

"See that you do." Severus said satisfied. In the short time he'd spent with Buffy Summers it had been clear that she loved Dawn and would do anything to protect her, he'd heard the young woman had even died in Dawn's place. And, though he did fear that once Dawn had completed her education Buffy would try and persuade her to leave him, he also realised that to try and stop them from developing their relationship would only end up pushing her further away. He loved his daughter; if this was what was best for her, then he would support it.

Dawn reached up and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Love you."

"Love you too." The soft voice with which he spoke vanished instantly as he turned to his daughter's travel companion. "Mister Malfoy. Have a good trip."

"Yes sir." Connor said politely. Not only was this man his teacher, but his girlfriend's father. He'd rather stay in his good graces if he could.

"Take care of my daughter, Connor. I'm… trusting you to protect her."

"With my life." Connor answered surely. The willingness and speed in which he had answered sent shivers down Dawn's spine, purely because she didn't doubt that he meant it- a fact that seemed to have taken Severus by surprise as well. Once again she was forcibly reminded that they were at war and the chances of both of them making it through were slim at best. What would she do if she was the one to live and Connor to die? Worse still, if he was to die because of her? She'd always been a danger to those around her, how many times had Buffy had to rescue her? Now Connor could be added to the list of people whose lives she could endanger.

"You better get ready." Snape announced to the group, eyeing Faith and Illyria warily. He hadn't spent any time with them, preferring to stay away from the reminders of his daughters alternate life. "The port-key will be activating soon."

Illyria stared at the bent frying pan. "I travelled dimensions in the blink of an eye. I do not need the aid of a deformed skillet to cross one ocean."

"Fine, stay here. Find your own way home." Dawn said flippantly, knowing that she wouldn't.

Illyria scowled. "When I regain my true powers-"

"Yeah, yeah, you'll swat us like flies." Faith said. "Now take the damn pan."

They felt a tug, and were transported, hurtling through space, to Los Angeles. As they landed, Connor steadying Dawn when she stumbled, they immediately recognised the large group of people waiting for them.

Connor picked out Angel right away and, much to the vampire's surprise threw his arms around his neck. He had never been much of a tactile person, but the relief he felt at seeing his father again, in one piece after the fight in LA, was overwhelming. After a moment they parted with an awkward smile, neither knowing what to say. Connor spotted Gunn leaning heavily against one wall, still not fully recovered from his injuries, and nodded a greeting which the elder man returned. 

Meanwhile, Dawn was doing the rounds- hugging Buffy, Giles, Willow, Spike and Xander and she was a little surprised to see Andrew also waiting to greet her. If felt so easy being back in that circle again, all smiles and laughter, like she had only gone away to college or something like that. Not been erased in their memories and built into a whole new life.

"Alright, kid?" 

Connor looked at the bleached blond before him and immediately recognised him as Spike, even if Dawn hadn't have described him. They were both childes of Angelus and he could sense the blood connection. The bloke next to him with the eye patch had to be Xander. Both were glaring at him harshly so he knew that he was going to be getting the 'hurt Dawn and we'll kill you' talk. Because there hadn't been enough of that today.

"We hear you're dating the 'bit."

"And don't even get me started on the weirdness of that history repeating itself one generation on." Xander injected sternly. He hadn't been happy to hear that Angel's sprog was seeing his surrogate little sister.

Spike glared at him. "Let's just get this over with, eh? Hurt Nibblet and I'll rip yer bleedin' limbs off, got it?"

Connor nodded. "Just for the record, I have no intention of hurting Dawn. Ever."

Spike scoffed. "We rarely intend to hurt 'em, pup, it just happens. See that it doesn't."

"It won't." 

"Then we'll get along just fine." Spike offered him a smirk and held out his hand to shake. "So you'll be the newest member of me line then."

"Seems that way." Connor accepted the hand, pleased at the acceptance.

"Let's hope you don't turn out to be as soft as your old pa. Smoke?" He offered the crushed packet, taking one out for himself. "Gotta light?"

Spike eyed the suspiciously stake-like wand warily as Connor lit a flame out the end and offered it to the vampire.

"Never been a fan of magic." Spike said as he took a drag and exhaled the smoke lazily. "Anything that uses mini stakes to conjure fire and sunlight ain't exactly good for me."

"You must be glad I'm on your side then."

"True, pup; too true." Spike said with a laugh. He ignored the glare Giles and Angel were give him for smoking in the Council buildings. He was evil, dammit, what did he care?

An hour later and Connor and Dawn were settled into their very separate rooms- they doubted very much that it was a coincidence that they were at opposite ends of the building with everyone else living in between. They were all having dinner together that night, apparently the first time everyone had been able to make it. Everyone wanted to welcome them home.

Buffy watched as her little sister shared a secret smile with her boyfriend over the dinner table, while carrying on her conversation with Willow about the merits of wand magic versus Wicca. It was hard to believe that the little girl who had bugged her about going on patrols was in love and all grown up. They had spent some time together that afternoon, just the two of them, and the differences were clear to see. Dawn had grown up a lot that last year in Sunnydale, but now she had a confidence in herself that she had never had before. As much as it pained Buffy to admit it, being part Snape seemed to do her a lot of good. She seemed more grown up and level-headed now, plus the magic obviously meant that she could better defend herself.

"You see it too, don't you?" Xander muttered from his seat next to her.

Buffy turned to see that he was also looking at Dawn with a smile. Sometimes it was easy to forget how involved the others had been in raising Dawn after their mother had died, particularly Xander who had always had a soft spot for her.

"Little Dawnie's not so little?" Xander continued with a grin. "It makes me feel old."

"You think she's alright then?"

Xander's grin dropped as he looked at Buffy, contemplating the answer. "You know when I left Sunnydale that summer after graduation?"

"On the roadtrip we're not allowed to mention?" Buffy smirked.

"And after this conversation, we never will again." Xander continued smoothly. "Despite all the (ah-hem) _problems_ it was the best thing I ever did. It gave me a chance to get out there by myself and figure out who I was, away from the super-slayer and witch-extraordinaire."

"Xander-"

He interrupted her, not wanting the pity or 'you're so important to us' speech, because he genuinely didn't need it. He knew who he was, and he was happy with it. "It's not like that, I love you guys, and Dawn does too. Dawn getting out on her own, might turn out to be a good thing. If she can stand on her own two feet, how is that a bad thing?"

"It's not. She seems happy, and relatively safe. That's the most important thing."

Dawn had her own life, separate to the one she'd begun in Sunnydale, and now Buffy just had to find a way to fit into it.

Catching her sister's gaze and noting the serious look, Dawn quirked an eyebrow, silently asking if she was alright. Buffy nodded in response, their life was never going to be easy and who knew if they would ever have their 'happily ever after', but for now she was content. A normal dinner, surrounding by family, with the apocalypse happily sitting on the back burner. All she wanted now was for them all to make it through this and whatever battles there may be in the future.

Angel was keeping a careful ear tuned in on Spike and Connor's conversation but, to his everlasting surprise, Spike seemed to be on his best behaviour, just getting to know the new member of his line. With plenty of sarcasm and insults towards his sire injected of course, but they made Connor laugh, so Angel found himself not caring. He had thought he had lost Connor forever, so this was more than he had ever dreamed would happen. He had spent the whole afternoon with Connor, while Buffy and Dawn had been catching up, and despite the worry he felt for the worsening situation at Hogwarts, he was happy that Connor had finally found his place in this world and settled down. Even if it was with Buffy's baby sister.

Connor had had hundreds of family dinners with the Malfoy's, or at least he remembered them, but they had involved him sitting in silence, only speaking when spoken to as they were served by the house elves. Here, everyone pitched in and talked across one and other, almost like how the other tables spent meal times at Hogwarts, but the Slytherin table was far to reserved and superior to enjoy such activity. There was warmth, and laughter, and love, and all those other sappy things which he had never known he had missed. It was nice, really nice.

He tried to ignore the voice that was telling him to enjoy this slice of life, because sooner or later, most likely sooner, it was all going to come crashing down around them.

So this was the calm. Now bring on the storm…


End file.
